How to Start a Podcast: A Beginners’ Guide

Do you want to start a podcast? This beginner’s guide explores six (6) simple steps on how to start a podcast and make it a success.

Why starting a podcast is a great choice

In an age where content creators have numerous distribution options, podcasting stands out as an alpha platform. This is because it has redefined content distribution and consumption globally by availing audio content in an intimate and appealing form. 

As such, it is not surprising that podcast awareness and listenership are growing by the day, making it the best channel to attract active audiences.

Today, no one wants to spend hours on end waiting for a radio show that tackles their topics of interest. The push for instant gratification does not allow this, and this is where podcasts come to the rescue. This has further been enhanced by technology as more people invest in smart speakers such as Google Home devices, HomePod mini, Sonos One, and Amazon Echo. 

These devices, alongside smartphones, have made it simpler and more interesting to listen to podcasts as they make audio content easier to consume. 

A look at the numbers backing the world of podcasting

Podcasting is a promising field and enjoys wide popularity nowadays. As recent podcast statistics show the industry is projected to reach $1.62 billion market size by 2022 with the growing number of podcast listeners each year. Interestingly, the statistics further suggest that the majority of customers use podcasts to learn something new, while it can also be a great marketing tool for promoting your brand. 

Now that you have insights into how rapidly the field of podcasting is developing, why not consider starting a podcast. The big question is; how do you start a podcast?

How to start a podcast: A six-step guide

Here is a step-by-step guide that will help you get started and attain success as a content creator:

Start by determining your target audience 

The first step to launching a podcast involves looking inward as you need to be focused on what you best understand. To do this, you need to ask yourself the following questions;

• What areas or niches am I conversant with?
• How best can I use my knowledge in this area or niche to attract an audience?
• Who is likely to be my listener, and what are their interests?

By narrowing down on a niche that best suits you, knowing your target audience becomes simpler. This way, you can start researching topics that will appeal to your potential audience.

Spreaker Quick Tip: Podcast Avatar.

Once you’ve chosen your podcast niche, you’ll want to start defining your ideal listener. Also known as your podcast avatar.  Imagine your podcast avatar as the exact person you are speaking to when recording. You want to know not only demographics like age or gender, but also their psychological wants, needs, and fears. Podcasting is an intimate medium, so knowing your podcast avatar inside out will allow you to tailor your podcast content to their exact desires, creating a bond between host and listener.

Pick your podcast topic and name

After you have settled on a niche of choice be it family issues, politics, celebrity gossip, hiking, or music, it is time to choose a podcast name and topic. The rule of thumb is to go for a podcast name that is catchy and enticing to your target audience. 

Remember, simplicity is critical, and always remember to align your podcast name and topic to the niche you will be handling.

For your podcast topic, it counts to deeply research areas of interest and pain points within your niche. Then, once you have discovered these areas, craft a series of topics that contain the keywords that are popular in online searches by your target audience. 

This is a foolproof way to drive more traffic to your podcast as it becomes an authority in the niche.

Other recommendations in terms of finding the right title for the podcast include:

• The name should be easy for the audience to remember and find;
• Must include any relevant keywords surrounding the central theme or reflect the personality of you as the host;
• Preferably between 20 and 29 characters long.

Remember, the topic should not be too narrow, as it will be hard to continue to create content. But you also don’t want it too broad as episodes should appeal to a specific niche. The idea is to cast a wide net in order to make an impact. But not too wide! You don’t want to confuse the audience about your message.

Set the perfect length and frequency for posting podcasts

Podcast insights show that most podcasts are between 20 to 40 minutes long, accounting for 31% of the total percentage. On frequency, most podcasts publish every 8 to 14 days. While these are valuable insights that you cannot ignore, you need to set a perfect length and frequency for posting to make it easy to win more listeners.

As a newbie, you do not want your podcast to be too long that it becomes boring. On the other hand, you do not wish for a podcast that is too short to cover valuable content. An ideal length in many cases is to have a podcast between 18 to 22 minutes as this is the ideal attention span of man. 

On frequency, you are better off posting weekly so that your audience can anticipate the next episodes.

Spreaker Quick Tip: Show Format

Will your show involve interviewing different guests each week, or will you be telling fictional stories? Are you the only host, or will someone else be joining you? We encourage you to get creative with your episodes and consider different podcast formats. But choosing a somewhat consistent style will allow your audience to understand your brand from the start. Someone who comes to your podcast to learn workshop-style about a specific skill might be put off if your show suddenly takes a conversational format, and vice versa.

Choose a podcast hosting platform 

Now comes a critical pillar for your podcasting, and this is choosing the right podcast hosting platform. This is a make-or-break decision that will determine how easy it will be to run your podcast.

A podcast host is a place to store and distribute your podcast’s audio files. There are different types of hosts, all of which are designed individually to suit where you are in your podcast career.

Free podcast hosting platforms do exist, but be careful before you choose this option. If a program is free, then anything you upload to them typically becomes their product, including your data. It’s a question of security and ethics, but that’s up to you to debate.

We do podcast hosting here at Spreaker, including a free trial if you want to test things out. Once that’s done, then you can start to submit it to podcast distributors, or podcatchers.

Optimize your podcasts to reach a larger audience

You need to step up your game as a content creator running a podcast. The average listener has become quite demanding and is after the best Listener Experience (LX). Equally, the growing competition means that to reach a larger audience, you need to optimize your content through:

• Research and use relevant keywords in your content, for more information about podcast SEO, we recommend reading this article.
• Have podcast show notes that highlight what your podcast episode will cover. Use relevant keywords on these notes in places such as titles, headings, sub-headings, and throughout the page content.
• Leverage podcast metadata. This is the summary that appears on search pages showing your podcast. Be creative and make it enticing to your potential audience, so they have an urge to listen to your podcast.
• Repurpose your content into forms such as blogs, guides, videos, or infographics that search engines can easily index and show to your target audience.

Don’t forget to promote your podcasts

Finally, you cannot forget to promote your podcasts. Your target audience will not magically know about your podcasts, and you need to put effort so that word quickly goes around. The best way to go about this is by:

• Take advantage of social media to establish yourself as an authority in a specific niche. Have creative posts on these platforms and make them go viral. Do not forget to include links to your podcasts in these posts, so viewers can easily get to them.
• Appear as a guest in popular Vlogs, podcasts, and live social media discussions held by influencers. This will make more people take note of you and be willing to check out your podcasts.
• Have a podcast website as this allows you to cast your net broad while portraying you as a knowledgeable content creator.
• Ask for reviews and subscriptions from your audience so you can build trust and attract more traffic.

Conclusion

Podcasting is the future of content distribution, and with each passing day, it gets popular. Its endless possibilities and flexibility in creating appealing content make it a darling in the current world. The best part is that with technology making it easier for the average individual to consume audio content, it is only a matter of time before everyone is on board with podcasting. 

As a futuristic individual, there has never been a better time to start podcasting than now. This guide offers you a great starting point to understanding the ins and outs of becoming a successful podcaster.