There are a lot of things to think about before starting a podcast, and it can get overwhelming quickly. After launching three podcasts for myself and 25 for clients in the past 5 years, I’ve learned a thing or two about what to know before you launch. I’m behind the mic this week sharing what I think are some of the most important things to consider before you release your show to the world. This week, episode 116 of Listeners to Leads is about the ten things I wish I knew before starting a podcast!
In this episode of Listeners to Leads, I’m sharing the importance of launching your podcast with purpose and actionable steps you can take right now to make recording easier by batching your episodes.
I also chat about the following:
The importance of goals and why you shouldn’t be afraid to change them.
Your audience doesn’t care until they do – make them care!
You cannot market the same way as Taylor Swift (sorry).
Allowing yourself to use the podcasting style that works best for you.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips on turning your podcast listeners into leads and to hear even more about the points outlined above. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!
We also encourage you to subscribe to Listeners to Leads, a podcast for podcasters looking to grow their business through podcasting. On the show, we provide you with tons of resources and episodes specifically focused on launching and starting your podcast, so you have the tools you need to make it a success.
Step-by-Step: How to Start a Podcast
This blog will break down step by step of how to start a podcast and guide you towards helpful resources every leg of the journey! Consider this blog your official checklist to getting started and on your way.
1. Pick a Name for Your Podcast
The name of your podcast will be the first thing potential listeners see and hear and it’s important to make it easy for them to find. When choosing a podcast name, pick one that’s catchy, memorable, and relevant to your topic and area of expertise.
We recommend keeping it simple, clear, and descriptive and avoiding words that are hard to spell or difficult to pronounce.
Look to see if your podcast’s name is already taken or trademarked by someone, and look into podcast directories to see what else comes up when you type in the name. Getting feedback on the name can be helpful (from people you trust) but ultimately, it’s your show and you have to feel good about what the name is and why you’ve chosen it.
Be creative and be YOU to make your name stand out!
Choose a Hosting Platform
How on earth is one to choose from the many many many podcast hosting platforms that are out there? Before you just choose the cheapest podcast host or the one your friend told you they use, read our blog on the Eight Top Podcast Hosting Platforms and why we chose them!
Your podcast hosting platform is what will be pushing your show out to podcast players (think Spotify, Apple, Stitcher, etc.) as well as where you’ll upload audio, show notes, and get data and analytics to help you in the creation of your show.
We often refer people to Buzzsprout, thanks to it’s ease of use, great user interface, reasonable pricing, and dynamic ad insertion options.
What we think makes Buzzsprout the Best Podcast Hosting Platform:
You can customize your podcast site with a unique domain name and your branding
Buzzsprout automatically uploads your podcast to podcast directories
They offer a transcription service (for an additional fee) and can help ensure better audio quality as well!
They provide advanced analytics
They have affordable pricing tiers
One of our favorite features of Buzzsprout is the ability to promote your business and offerings with dynamic ad insertions, which are ads anywhere in the show (pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll).
Buzzsprout is very easy to use and allows you to pay monthly without commitment, so it’s a great way to get started and still have access to in-depth analytics.
If you’re not a graphic designer, or a super Canva genius, we recommend hiring someone to design the artwork for your show. Your artwork is really important and not to be overlooked! Like the name of the show, it’s the first thing people will see when they discover your show (usually before even pressing PLAY to listen!).
Unless it’s a hobby podcast, your branding and artwork for your podcast should align with your current business branding. Your podcast is an extension of your brand, so it’s important for the two to be cohesive and work together.
In addition to your cover art, your podcast may also need individual episode graphics, graphics for your podcast website, and other social media graphics for things like quotes and audiograms.
A podcast description (also called a show description) summarizes the who, what, and why of your podcast to potential audience members. It explains the topic of your show, and a simple but concise description that lets them know if they’re in the right spot as a listener.
Example of the Listeners to Leads podcast description.
5. Choose Your Music
It’s the little things that make a huge difference in setting your show apart from all the noise from other podcasts. It’s also the little things – like your music – that help you to welcome your listeners in with the vibe they can expect from the show and show off your personality too!
Choose music that’s a reflection of you, your brand, will appeal to your listeners and that you plan to consistently use each and every episode.
Our top two recommendations for affordable, royalty-free, and unique music you can purchase for your intro, outro, or transition podcast music:
You can also have someone record your music for you, such as a friend or family member who’s a musician which will also help to prevent copyright issues (as long as they’ve given you proper licenses and permission to use it)!
It’s also optional to look for free music, but remember that it won’t be nearly as unique as buying your music from the sites noted above. You’ll also need to make sure that you are following the requirements for the free licenses.
Choose music that’s catchy and helps your listeners remember your podcast and recommend it to others.
6) Record Your Intro / Outro
Things should start to be feeling much more real to you by this point! You have the podcast art, the music, you’ve chosen a name, and a content theme, and now you’re ready to hit RECORD for the first time and create the introduction and “See ya’ next time!” for each show.
The intro does exactly that – it introduces your show, you, and any co-hosts, acknowledges your audience however you like (Welcome, friends!, etc.) and sets the tone for the show by briefly (we do mean briefly) sharing who the show is for and what it’s about.
The outro is where you thank listeners for enjoying your content, and often invite them to take next steps, whether that be:
Working with you or visiting your website
Finding you on social media
Sharing the episode with someone else
Writing a review
Subscribing to the show to make sure they don’t miss an episode
Signing up for your freebie
Just remember not to give them too many things to do at the end. One or two options to connect with you further is plenty!
7) Plan Your Content Strategy
Current stats show that 50% of podcasters don’t make it past the first seven episodes. After they hit that point, they do what we call in our industry “podfade”.
We don’t want you to podfade! It’s important to remember that podcasting is a long game and your topic should, ideally, be something you can keep on talking about for as long as you intend to play it! One way to avoid the podfade is to map out your content strategy.
What does your audience need to know first?
How can each episode build off of the other to give them everything they need?
We recommend mapping out at least your first 10 episodes before getting started.
Here are our four top Listeners to Leads Episodes on planning your podcast content and how to make it easier:
We don’t recommend you go this alone! We repeat: we don’t recommend you go this alone! A strategic podcast launch is key to helping you attract maximum listeners right away with your show and share it with the world when it airs. With a whole lot of launches under our belt, we know what goes into a successful podcast launch and can guide you every step of the way.
We offer full-service podcast launch management, which takes the pressure off you to know exactly what is involved in launching a successful podcast. We’re the experts in podcast launching so you don’t have to be. All you need to do is play an active role in making crucial decisions along the way, and show up with your unique brilliance and expertise!
If you do decide to do it by yourself or you’re on a budget and DIY-ing while starting your podcast, we recommend listening to Episode 23 of Listeners to Leads: How to Create a Podcast Launch Plan
The more intentional you are at the beginning, the better. When you launch in a thoughtful, strategic way, it can help your show be more successful from the start, and save you a lot of frustration!
9) Record and Upload Your Episodes
And you thought the intro/outro was exciting! Now, it’s time to sit down and record your first episodes and upload them to your podcast hosting platform.
You need to do this with your trailer/welcome episode (some call it Episode 0) PRIOR to launch day because it takes time for podcast hosting platforms to get your show in podcast directories so people can listen on their app of choice.
We recommend giving yourself two weeks (minimum) from date of launch to date of uploading your first episode to ensure that everything goes smoothly in getting them into all the podcast directories and everyone can find your podcast on launch day.
Your first official episode (Episode #1) will be scheduled for launch day (we’ll get to that in a minute) and ideally, you’ll have two more behind it for people to listen to and discover!
10) Launch Your Podcast!
You want to start telling people about your podcast weeks prior to launch day!
Don’t keep it a secret! We recommend you assemble a launch team, people who will support you by listening to your show, as well as help you market and share when the episodes go live! This launch team will be by your side, helping you get your initial first downloads and writing ratings and review that will help podcast directories recommend your show to like-minded listeners.
On launch day, your first official episode drops and you’ll want to market it far and wide, letting your community know that your episodes are LIVE and guiding them to listen and share. You can do a Facebook LIVE or Instagram LIVE to promote it on social media and in your newsletter.
Recommended Listeners to Leads episodes on launching strategy:
Important reminder: Don’t stop talking about your podcast after launch day. (Louder for the ones in the back!)
You need to continue marketing and promoting your show with regular social media posts for about a solid week after launch.
Launching can feel overwhelming and daunting, and it’s crucial to take a strategic approach in this step to ensure the most successful podcast possible right out of the gate.
Using this step-by-step guide in starting your podcast, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying all the many benefits of podcasting and sharing your content and thought leadership with your listeners!
Launch Your Podcast With Support
If you’re looking for support, book a chat with us. We handle these steps (and more) soup-to-nuts and take it entirely off you’re plate! We’re able to get some incredible launch results for our clients and we’d love to do the same for you!
This blog post contains affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you!
At Galati Media, we see a lot of podcasters get overwhelmed with all the options out there and love helping clients choose the best podcast hosting platform for their individual needs and podcast goals.
If you’re scratching your head wondering what a podcast hosting platform IS and why you need one, make sure to go back and read our blog “How to Start a Podcast in 2023 (step-by-step)” which walks you through what a podcast hosting platform is and why you need one.
In a nutshell, a podcast hosting platform/site is your podcast’s homebase. It’s where you upload and store episodes, and it magically (it’s not actually magic, but sometimes it feels like it) pushes out your new episodes to podcast listening apps right into your listener’s ears.
Before you just select the cheapest podcast host, check out our recommendations for the eight best podcast hosting platforms and why we chose them.
Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing the Best Podcast Hosting Platform for You:
Consider what’s important to you for your podcast.
What will be the average length of your episodes and the frequency at which you produce a show?
How are you at navigating tech and how important is ease of user experience to you?
What platforms do you want to ensure your show is distributed to?
Will your podcast be a private, paid feed or free for public consumption?
As we compiled this list, we paid attention to each of these areas to show you the pros and cons of various podcast hosting platforms so you can decide on the best podcast hosting platform for your needs. One of our criteria was also that the platform needed to be aligned with Podcasts 2.0, an initiative to ensure the right of free speech is maintained and allows everyday people to create podcasts.
As a woman of color owned company, accessibility for all people to create and listen to podcasts is one of our driving values.
#1) Buzzsprout: Best Podcast Hosting Platform for Beginners, Hobbyists, and Thought Leaders
We refer people to Buzzsprout often thanks to its ease of use, great user interface, reasonable pricing, and multiple dynamic ad insertion options.
What we think makes Buzzsprout the Best Podcast Hosting Platform:
Customize your podcast site with a unique domain name and your branding
Buzzsprout automatically uploads your podcast to some podcast directories with a few simple clicks.
They allow you to upload a transcript for your show
For an additional fee, there are features to help provide better audio quality for your listeners
Free visual soundbite generation
Includes a website optimized for hearing-disabled folks.
Advanced analytics
Affordable pricing tiers
One of our favorite features of Buzzsprout is the ability to promote your business and offerings with dynamic ad insertions, which are ads anywhere in the show (pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll).
Buzzsprout is very easy to use and allows you to pay monthly, without commitment so it’s a great way to get started and still have access to in-depth analytics.
Blubrry is well-known for its superior, trusted analytics as one of the first podcasting companies, now serving 150,000+ podcasters with hosting, distribution, stats, and helpful listener insights. It integrates well with the backend of your website, which can be a major benefit for business owners and agencies looking to publish podcast episodes right from their website. Blubrry offers data and statistics that help you make important decisions for your show.
Make sure to check out this episode of Listeners to Leads Episode 79 with the founder, Todd Cochrane as he shares his wealth of knowledge into the landscape of podcast and his perspective on The Future of Podcasting!
#3) Podbean: Best for Podcasters Looking for a Range of Features
What Podbean does well is offer various plans and price points so that whether you’re just getting started or a seasoned podcast pro, you can access their platform. Features and benefits vary as you move through the tiers, and the free plan does not offer many features.
They do allow for dynamic ad insertion as well as a customizable podcast website and themes. Some clients we’ve spoken with have said that customer service is not ideal and statistics aren’t as detailed as they’d like.
Our main beef with Podbean is that they don’t make it easy or intuitive to maximize and customize your podcast website and direct people to your website and social links.
#4) Red Circle: Best for Growing Brands
If you’re a podcaster who’s getting thousands of downloads a month and looking to monetize with ads that extend beyond just your own, Red Circle could be the podcast hosting site for you. Red Circle offers a myriad of features including powerful analytics, cross-promotion, and fast support, but one of its highlights is their commitment to helping podcasters monetize their podcasts through:
Brand-to-brand connection
Dynamic ad insertions
Cross-promotion
Red Circle isn’t for you if you’re looking to use your podcast to promote your own products or services and want your ads to lead to YOU. They also do not have as many tools to provide accessibility and aren’t optimized with all of your audience’s needs in mind.
Transistor is a newer podcast hosting platform that’s beneficial for podcasters who want to produce multiple shows and host them on the same site. With Transistor, you can host both public and private podcasts, and include dynamic ads.
While you can host multiple podcasts on all of the price plans, they offer limited downloads in each tier of their pricing and payments can increase when downloads increase. If you plan to maximize the use of hosting multiple podcasts, and bring in collaborators to your team, Transistor could be a great choice.
If you’re the everyday average podcaster looking to host just one show, it’s an expensive choice with more features than you might need.
#6) Libsyn: Best for a Wide Range of Budgets
You can get started with Libsyn for just $5 a month and upgrade from there to include more features. Libsyn’s been around a long time and is the go-to for many established podcasters; however, despise being budget-friendly, the lower-level tiers have limited features. Overall, the platform isn’t great for beginners who tend to struggle navigating new tech. The user experience makes it challenging to navigate their platform and setting up the analytics properly can require multiple steps.
If you want to use your podcast to make some cash money dollars, you might enjoy this relatively new podcast hosting platform. Captivate helps podcasters make money from their show by offering a private podcast option on every plan, a podcast sponsorship kit PDF, built in calls to action, and tools that help you get sponsors.
They give you advanced analytics, lots of podcasting resources, and quite a lot of features at every level. The plans are pricier than most (starting at $17/month) and have a cap for the number of downloads.
#8) Anchor.fm: Best for Beginners
We have so many thoughts on Anchor.fm, and “free” platforms in general. Here’s a quote from PodMatch’s Alex Sanfilippo from a recent post on LinkedIn:
“Fellow podcasters: If you don’t pay for a product, you are the product.”
When you’re using a free podcast hosting platform or just choosing the cheapest podcast host, they’re using you in some type of way to make money as a company.
A lot of people start out on Anchor because they want to use it and try it for free. Spotify owns Anchor and pressures podcasters to push their shows on Spotify. They also recommend ads that may or may not be aligned with your brand, heavily encouraging you to offer paid membership content or premium content that’s only available to your listeners on Spotify. Anytime you choose to focus on pushing your podcast out on one platform, you shut out a lot of your audience.
Trust us, we love a subscription model, but it’s not right for everyone and may not be right for you. Check out Listeners to Leads Episode 65 Adding a Subscription Model to Your Podcast to learn more.
In the case of Anchor.fm, free comes at the cost of pressure and the reminder that you are the product.
One final reminder: You can change podcast hosts down the road, if needed. It’s not difficult, but it’s also a hassle we try to save podcasters from by helping them choose the right platform the first time around.
To choose the best podcast hosting platform for you, take a look at your individual goals and needs for your podcast and start from there. This crucial first step will help you weigh the pros and cons of each host, so you don’t just hit “Get Started” with the podcast host that has the flashiest website or is the cheapest price.
Listeners to Leads episodes mentioned in this blog:
This blog post contains affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you!
Looking for personalized 1:1 support to launch your podcast?
Book a call with us and see if we’re the right fit for your needs!
There’s a lot of communication, especially in the online marketing world, that’ll have you convinced that starting a podcast is easy! And equally as much suggesting that “everyone” should have a podcast!
Starting a podcast doesn’t require a degree in physics or biochemistry (unless that’s what you plan to talk about in your show) but it’s not always as easy as people think to start a podcast. People often come to Galati Media with an idea for a podcast, but don’t know whether or not they should start a podcast, do something else entirely, and how to take action on starting a podcast.
Here are ten things you should think about and consider before you start your own podcast:
1. Determine whether or not launching a podcast is right for you!
Starting a podcast isn’t complicated, but it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not some quick fix or hack for more business and more clients. It’s a long game and requires time at the beginning to build, grow, and plan.
To determine whether or not starting a podcast is right for you, you first have to ask yourself whether or not you have the capacity to show up regularly for your audience, to engage in the topics you’ll be providing, and to market the show.
Ideally, your show will be produced on a regular basis with a steady stream of valuable content for listeners to learn from and enjoy. Are you able to set aside time and attention to be consistent and show up for your show?
Who are your ideal listeners and audience and is there a need or desire for your content? Is what you want to talk about going to fill a gap in what’s out there as far as resources and education around what you’re sharing?
Market research involves learning about your listeners and audience as well as looking at other podcasts talking about the same or similar topics.
If there are endless podcasts out there covering what you want to talk about, it might be an oversaturated topic and too broad. You might think of a different direction, or reconsider. There may be no gap to fill. Conversely, if there are NO podcasts out there talking about what you do, or there are just single episodes, there may not be enough to cover and it might be too niche of a topic.
If your topic is something you can cover in just one episode, or a single workshop, starting a podcast might not be right for you.
Another piece of market research is listening to other podcasts and learning what you like and don’t like, how you’ll do it differently or focus on a different niche, and really getting to understand if there’s an audience for your show.
As a podcaster, it’s important to set clear, achievable goals, and treat your podcast like you would any other part of your business so you don’t set yourself up for failure or podfade due to lack of results.
Your podcast could have goals around building your business through lead generation, supplementing your existing content for additional support, raising awareness, connecting with guests for networking or potential client opportunities, or something else entirely!
Looking to monetize and make money with your podcast? Make sure to check out our blog “How Can I Make Money from My Podcast” when you’re done with this one!
Whatever goals you set, you’ll want to make sure that they are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. You also want goals that are relevant to your unique business!
What do you want your podcast to do for you and your business? Ask yourself what your goals are for your show and get clear on that and it will make starting a podcast (and not getting frustrated) a whole lot easier!
We spoke to this a little in the market research paragraph above, but trust us, it bears repeating and needed its own section! Content (and you, of course) are the reason people are listening to your podcast in the first place!
Approximately 90% of podcasts stop producing before they hit seven episodes.
There are many reasons why this happened, but one of the most common reasons is because they run out of content.
Brainstorm your content ideas and be really honest with yourself about whether or not you have enough content within your topic area to keep you excited and engaged as you share consistently.
As you listen to other podcasts, you start to learn what you like and don’t like about how they do their shows in the content they offer, their perspectives and viewpoints, and the format as well.
There are so many different ways to format and structure your show and the only right way is the way you decide to do it.
Thinking about the format for your podcast is a crucial step to getting started. Ask yourself if you want:
Formal or informal show
Solo episodes (you by yourself)
Guests
Co-hosts
Scripted vs. not scripted
Choosing the format of the episodes will help guide you in how to move forward in starting with your show, plus help you understand better how much time you’ll need to commit to each episode.
We promise not to get too in the weeds and overwhelm you here. You will need to spend time, prior to starting your show looking at what equipment you need and how much you can afford to spend on what.
At the very minimum to get started you need, a set of headphones, a quality microphone, recording software or platform, editing software and a podcast host (which we’ll talk about more in a minute!).
How much you’re looking to spend on your show is unique and personal to you and depends where you are in your business, what goals you have for your show, and how much you want to invest initially.
Will you be outsourcing the many tasks and headaches of editing and producing to a podcast production company or will you be DIY-ing it?
If you’re planning to outsource, we’d love to help you get started considering these questions, and more!
7. Choose your hosting platform
Choosing a podcast hosting platform isn’t as simple as just picking the cheapest podcast host, there are a lot of factors to consider when looking at what you need in the short term and long term for your show.
Fortunately, we’re not going to leave you hanging here. Here’s our blog, What’s the Best Podcast Hosting Platform where we highlight eight top podcast hosting platforms to help you decide which is right for you!
8. Branding and Artwork
Finally, the fun part, right!? Making your podcast pretty and pop visually!
Unless it’s a hobby podcast, your branding and artwork for your podcast should align with your current business branding. Your podcast is an extension of your brand, so it’s important for the two to be cohesive and work together.
Plus, if you’re as OCD as us, you’re not going to want clashing colors next to each other on your Instagram feed.
The visuals you’ll need for your show depends on where you’re sharing episodes and how, but you’ll most likely need visuals for your podcast page/website, individual episodes, cover art (your show’s main graphic), and individual social media graphics for things like quotes and audiograms.
While podcasts are mainly an audio experience, graphics still play an important role. Graphics are definitely something to think about as it’s crucial to share bold, clear podcast graphics that catch attention and are a reflection of your brand.
9. Create your marketing plan, launch strategy, and assemble your launch team
The more intentional you are at the beginning, the better. When you start a podcast in a thoughtful, strategic way, it can help your show be more successful from the get go, and save you a lot of frustration!
You’ll want to think about how you plan to market your show, who to can help you share when it first comes out, and what steps you’ll need to take to share it with the world and get people listening!
It’s really important to take time now and think about your first few weeks of content so you’re not flying by the seat of your pants when getting started.
The number one piece podcasters tend to hire out is editing. In addition to editing, there are so many tasks that go into the management and production of a successful podcast.
Here are some of the things involved in producing a show:
Launching strategy
Marketing
Editing and audio quality
Guest booking and follow up
Publishing and syndication across podcasting platforms including Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and other podcast networks and directories
Cover art design, promotional graphics, and branding
Creation of show notes
Social media posts, blog posts, emails to promote the show
Creation of intros and outros
Generating episode transcriptions
Repurposing podcast content into video clips, audiograms, and other social media content
The good news is, you don’t need to do any of this alone. At Galati Media, we support you in managing your show from soup-to-nuts, even the stuff not on this list (yes, there’s more!)
We walk you through these questions prior to getting started, and help guide you in making pivotal decisions for your show.
When we’re asked, “Is starting a podcast easy?” our answer is a confident, “Yes, if you’ve taken time at the beginning to ask yourself these questions and make a plan! And it’s a whole lot easier with us by your side!”
The trends are shifting away from chasing big numbers and followers to focusing more on having a solid and engaged community that shows up consistently for you and the content you’re creating. This week, episode 77 of Listeners to Leads is about creating a podcast for your community!
In this episode of Listeners to Leads, my guest Krista Lockwood shares how she started her podcast imperfectly as a direct response to the feedback of her community and actionable steps you can take right now to create a podcast that both works for you and your audience.
Despite attention spans getting shorter and shorter, I think that humans in general really crave consistency and predictability. So if you can be known as a person that is predictable and reliable, your audience is going to come to appreciate that.
Krista Lockwood
Krista and I also chat about the following:
Quick tips on how to optimize your podcast for SEO to reach your target audience.
Lessons learned when it comes to growing your community and, ultimately, your podcast listenership.
Knowing your audience so that you can tailor your podcast to reflect the content they are looking for while speaking directly to them and their needs.
How to keep your Facebook group engaged despite the changing algorithms.
Staying consistent with your content – predictability is not a bad thing!
You’re not going to find success in replicating what someone else is doing for their audience. Instead, you need to figure out the wants and needs of the audience that is unique to you.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips on turning your podcast listeners into leads and to hear even more about the points outlined above.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!
The future of podcasting is not going to be about the numbers and the downloads but rather about connecting with your audience and actually creating content they want and enjoy. This week, episode 72 of Listeners to Leads is about the future of podcasting!
There is a lot of time, effort, and money being invested into podcasting and podcast advertising right now. According to the stats supplied by Buzzsprout, 81% of those surveyed say they pay attention to podcast ads more than they do to radio, TV commercials, billboards, and even digital ads on social media. We also know that ad revenue from podcasting is projected to exceed $2 billion by 2023.
But what does this mean for those who use their podcast to grow their business? That means that your podcast is still the BEST way to engage, educate, and connect with your ideal customers. Your podcast should be used to direct your listeners toward the products, courses, services, etc., that you have to offer.
More Americans listen to podcasts each week than have Netflix accounts. Worldwide, there are now close to 400 million listeners. The medium is growing! And though it might seem like there are more podcasts now than ever, of the 5.6 million podcasts on Spotify, there are less than 400,000 active podcasts. This means that the podcast industry is not as saturated as you might think. There’s still room to grow your audience with less competition than any other medium.
The Three Reasons People Start Listening to Podcasts
To learn something new.
This is important because it means that you, as a business owner, can use your podcast to educate your audience. That’s what the majority of them are there to do anyway.
With this, niching down is important. If you’re trying to use your podcast to appeal to a broader audience, they aren’t going to feel that sense of community.
To spark creativity.
How can you help give actionable steps to your audience to further spark their creativity? Or how can you highlight guests who are doing incredible things that will inspire your listeners to take action?
The Three Reasons People Stop Listening to Podcasts
Not delivering on the podcast promise.
Podcast descriptions and episode titles are important for this. Your description tells the audience what they can expect from your show. If you aren’t delivering on that, then you leave them feeling disjointed and no longer listening.
Content is too long, the host or guest is boring, irrelevant side conversations, or referring to a live viewing audience in the audio.
Though this might feel like a general idea, we can narrow this down to one thing–your content should be relevant to the podcast listener and should only be as long as needed to get the point across. This doesn’t mean that you can’t share relevant information or stories that are applicable, but if there are side tangents, we’ll want to limit those.
Content release time is inconsistent.
If you say (and have shown) that you show up consistently for your podcast, then you’re going to want to do that. Pre-scheduled breaks, seasons, or limited series are great as long as those have been defined and your audience is aware. Even with that, we’ve seen a dip in downloads when clients take seasonal or scheduled breaks. Just know that you should anticipate your numbers to be lower than normal when you come back, and you’ll need to build back up from there.
Where do people find new podcasts to listen to?
Searching the internet.
With Google indexing podcast episodes, we’ve seen how important it is for clients to have episode titles that are SEO friendly and accurate to what the episode is about.
Friend and family recommendations.
Telling your podcast listeners to share with a friend can help you grow! When was the last time you encouraged your audience to share?
Bonus Script: “Hey friend, if you like this episode, I want you to share it with one person who you know would benefit from listening to it. I appreciate you sharing it!”
Recommended from a podcast they already listen to.
This could mean that listeners are finding you through other shows you’ve guested on. We’ve seen clients do this with incredible results! One client saw a 102% increase in monthly downloads from one guest interview and then another 117% increase from another one just a few months later. Another client saw a 397% (yes, that’s right!) over a three-month period because of a combined effort of having an aligned guest on her show who brought in a ton of traffic and guesting on a show that had her ideal listener.
Being a guest on other podcasts is the 1% way to grow your show. Unfortunately, we don’t currently provide guest pitching services, but we have a guest pitching research package available only for clients to help you get started with pitching to be on other shows.
The five things I’m seeing as the future of podcasting.
In this episode of Listeners to Leads, I’m sharing my predictions on what we can expect for the future of podcasting in 2023, specifically for business owners, and how you can use these trends to continue generating leads, growing your business, and establishing authority in your industry.
SEO will be more important than ever.
Since Google indexes podcasts for search, it’s important that your episode title, description, and metadata clearly indicate what the episode is about. It’s also important that when Google “listens” to the audio (because they do) that it’s evident in the first few minutes what the episode will be about.
Video will NOT be the future of podcasting for business owners who don’t already have a video presence.
Even with TikTok and YouTube investing in video-style podcasts, I don’t see that being the direction the future of podcasting for business is going unless you already have a strong video presence. We saw one of the reasons why some podcasters stop listening is because the podcaster references a live audience. The same goes for if you reference something the video viewer can see that the audio listener cannot. With 49% of podcast listening happening in the home (mostly while doing other things around the house) and 28% of U.S. adults listening while driving, this doesn’t equate to video podcast streaming ranking high for those who currently enjoy the medium.
Your podcast audio, topic, and branding will need to be high quality. So if you are worried about a guest’s audio, take a moment to ask them to grab headphones to minimize echo or let them know that you need them to repeat something if their audio cuts out. We’re here to support you with all those things, so don’t be afraid to keep your audio quality at the forefront while you are recording. It’s more important than ever.
If you’re someone who struggles with trying to figure out how long your podcast should be, first look at the data. Where are you seeing that most of your audience is falling off? This is a great place for you to start seeing how you can improve your show to match what your audience is actually looking for.
I know it’s easy to look at the download numbers and get discouraged, but let’s take a moment to realize that there are people behind those downloads. So 100 downloads on an episode are 100 individuals who are listening to what you have to say, which is incredible! Going back to the podcast stats, you’ll be able to see how many people follow you on the different podcast listening apps. That can tell you how many people have signed up to be notified that you have a new episode being released. I like to imagine that number shows the people who sign up for your talk at a conference. So 100 followers equal 100 people in a room waiting to hear you speak. How does that make you want to show up?
When you start a podcast, you create your brand based on where you are at the moment, but as you grow, it is important that your brand remains authentic to you and is able to grow with you. This week, episode 70 of Listeners to Leads is about the behind-the-scenes of a podcast rebrand.
In this episode of Listeners to Leads, my guest Lisa Zawrotny shares the importance of keeping your brand in alignment as you grow and actionable steps you can take right now to do an intentional soft re-brand of your podcast to refresh where needed while remaining familiar to your audience.
Allowing your podcast and branding to grow with you.
How long you should wait before making changes to your branding.
The few things Lisa changed in her own soft re-brand.
How a refresh changes your perspective and excitability to share what you’re doing.
Questions to ask yourself to keep your brand aligned with your mission.
What you’re trying to create is consistency and that’s the consistency in showing up, the quality of your content and your intentions. How you deliver that content can be flexible because after all, it’s your podcast.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips on turning your podcast listeners into leads and to hear even more about the points outlined above.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!
Nobody has the same purpose. Even if you think the world of podcasting is saturated, you are still going to show up differently and speak to a niche audience that shares the same vision as you and will benefit from what you have to offer. This week, episode 62 of Listeners to Leads is about clearly positioning your podcast!
In this episode of Listeners to Leads, my guest Karley Cunningham shares the value in launching a podcast that supports your business and actionable steps you can take right now to position your podcast in a way that you can show up and provide unique value to your niche audience.
Refining your systems and processes to simplify your marketing and make the most of your time.
The reasons you should start a podcast and why you shouldn’t or alternatively, the things to reframe before launching one.
Showing up authentically and uniquely you for your audience to position yourself differently than others in your industry.
Approaching your podcast in a way that is comfortable for you.
By creating a strategy that is in alignment with the purpose of your business, you’ll be able to get clear on the decisions needed to do the right things for your audience and for the direction you want to take your business in.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips on turning your podcast listeners into leads and to hear even more about the points outlined above.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!
Over the last few weeks, we’ve focused really heavily on your launch strategy and focusing really heavily on the launch part of your podcast. I want to go through ideas on how to plan out and strategize new podcast episodes. If you are not a new podcaster but struggling to come up with ideas or a strategy for planning episode content, you will also be able to utilize this episode for that! This week, episode 24 of Listeners to Leads is about how to plan out the first (or next) 10 episodes of your podcast!
In this episode of Listeners to Leads, I’m sharing the importance of planning out your content and actionable steps you can take right now to make sure your first 10 episodes on your podcast are optimized.
Here are a few resources to help you in your podcasting journey:
Review of the 5 strategies to never run out of content from a past episode.
How to strategically craft your trailer so you get the best google search engine optimization and can encourage future listening.
Cornerstone content; what it is and how best to use it to plan your next 2-4 episodes of your podcast that best reflects the core values and ideas around your podcast while staying high level in content.
How to title your podcast episodes for better searchability and higher listener conversions.
Utilize these tips and strategies to come up with your first or next 10 episodes for your show.and you’ll never run out of ideas! Shoot me a DM on Instagram when you listen to this episode and plan out your first or next 5 episodes!
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips on turning your podcast listeners into leads and to hear even more about the points outlined above.
If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!
Oftentimes new podcasters rush their launch, get podfade or burnt out, and frustrated. That’s not what I want for you! I want you to be intentional in how you launch your show for the best possible launch. This week, episode 23 of Listeners to Leads is about how to create a podcast launch strategy!
In this episode of Listeners to Leads, I’m sharing the importance of having a strategy for your launch and actionable steps you can take right now to make the most of your show.
Here are a few resources to help you in your podcasting journey:
Why it’s important to utilize the first two weeks of this strategy to plan out your first 10 episodes. Need help with planning your content? You can listen to the next episode coming next week, or listen to episode 3, episode 7, or episode 21.
The one thing you should do at about 5 weeks from launch to get raving fans before your first episode comes out; and why it’s so important.
How to find and utilize a launch team throughout the whole launch process to get the most valuable support from people in your inner circle.
I walk through my podcast launch checklist, and the benefits to each section, including things to keep in mind that may not be just part of your strategy for your launch, like equipment and software.
This podcast will help you break down your launch strategy into an easy to follow framework to intentionally launch your show.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips on turning your podcast listeners into leads and to hear even more about the points outlined above.
Thank you for listening!
If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!
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