Podcasts are a unique way to build a genuine connection with your audience.
Instead of the fractured connection, you typically make through social media, podcasts allow you to engage your audience with unique medium and longer-form content. Podcasts are sometimes more convenient than blog posts; people can listen to podcasts while driving, working out, or working at a computer.
Why are you beginning a podcast?
What is the purpose or cause of your podcast? To assist you to get started, consider the following questions.
- Are you hoping to build a community?
- Do you plan to generate leads or meaningful business relationships?
- Is the podcast to help you be seen as a thought leader or pacesetter in an industry?
- To share important messages or to simply have fun?
What is your podcast about?
Make sure that it is something you are excited to investigate and discuss a lot! Once you've got got a concept of what to podcast about, do some market research.
What type of podcast is it?
Is it an Interview podcast? A podcast where a single host interviews individuals within a particular industry or sector of expertise, or a serial style podcast, such as scripted non-fiction, with a theme for a season?
You may decide it is more of an education podcast, to help share knowledge and information with your audience, or it could be similar to a radio drama or production where the episodes are closer to scripted fiction. The good news is that there is an audience for every kind of podcast style.
Podcast Duration and Editing
There is always a discussion on the optimal length for a podcast episode. Some people prefer podcasts that are in the range of 20 - 30 minutes long, while others like podcasts that can last over an hour. While there is no hard or fast rule, there are is a growing trend for both long-form and very short-form podcasts. Depending on your audience and podcast goals, your podcast should be as long as it needs to be!
It is important to remember that podcast editing is important. Almost every podcast can benefit from professional editing. Editing out parts of the episode that don’t provide value or that simply go on too long and become boring should be edited down or removed. Effective editing helps to polish and improve your podcast that ultimately adds more effective value to the listener and audience.
Consistency is Important
Many people like the idea of starting a podcast, however a lot of podcasts fail before reaching a critial audience. In many cases the lack of consistency does not help. Put a plan in place for when you record and all of the steps you need to produce a quality, regular podcast.