If you are going to start doing a podcast to create content to promote your business, there are a few things that you need to know. Doing a podcast is hard work, so in order to leverage it to drive brand awareness and sales in your business you need a refined topic, a regular schedule, and the right equipment. Here is a breakdown of what is involved in getting started with a podcast.
Consistency is key. If your podcast is weekly, make it weekly, and don’t skip a week. Once of the easiest ways to keep your podcast consistent is to record multiple podcasts in a day. Set aside two days a month where you record 4-6 episodes that way you can stay ahead of the schedule.
Decide Show Format: Make sure there’s an audience for your topic and content. Niches are fine, but not all stories are worth telling. You need to be a decent story teller and you must have the skill to pull great stories out of the people you interview. If you do your podcast in a talk show format, this is critical. You can also do a narrative format, but you could run low on topics quickly unless you’ve written a ton of books and blog posts on the topic. How long will your podcast be? 20 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour? Many podcast are geared towards 25 minutes which is the average drive time people spend going to work each day. Will you interview one person for 30-minutes or will you do three interviews in that time?
Get a Team: Are you a good host or should you have a co-host? You might also need a producer to schedule interviews or technical producer to do the edits and posting for your show. Some of the most popular podcasts have two hosts who play well off each other, so consider it. It’s also good to have a co-host if you are not a seasoned interviewer or if you are a busy entrepreneur with a heavy travel schedule.
Build an Audience: One of best ways to build an audience is to do interviews on other people’s podcasts. Create branded social graphics so that you let people know when you are releasing another episode. You can also use your signature graphics when you show is posted in iTunes, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google Play or other paid platforms like Soundcloud or Spotify.
Engage with Listeners in Other Platforms: Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups are very effective for creating ways listeners can engage with each other and you beyond the podcast. This is also how you can upsell your listeners on your other products and services.
Use Professional Equipment and Focus on Your Sound Quality: You need a reliable computer and microphone. A lot of people conduct interviews using Skype, others use the software Garageband if you’re a mac user or the software Audacity if you use a PC.
Recommended Professional Mic: The Shure SM7B mic is a leading brand. Radio Stations around the world swear by it. Other great options include the Shure SM58-LC Cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone, Blue Yeti USB Condenser Microphone or the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamics USB/XLR.
Here is a link to a package if you want to have a great Boom Arm and cord at the office for an extra $50. http://www.bswusa.com/Dynamic-Microphones-Shure-SM7B-Package-P5270.aspx
If you have a co-host or interview two people at once, it’s helpful to invest in an Audio Interface to mix the audio for up to 2 people: A great option is Steinberg UR22.
A couple of other pieces of equipment you may want to consider:
You may need an XLR cable and Mic stand or use the link for the package deal with a boom arm (the Shure SM7B is very heavy),
If you plan on doing remote interviews you may need a weatherproof/shockproof case like these at monoprice or a pelican case for traveling safely with pro equipment.
Posting Your Podcast: You’ll need to host that optimizes your show for audio and video podcast distribution
Libsyn Podcast Hosting – They offer a $20/month plan. You can start out at the $5/month until you are ready to go live.
What make a podcast great is the personality of the host(s), great guests, and sound quality. Don’t spend too much time worrying over how to set up your podcast. With the right tools and an engaging topic, you can reach millions of listeners in no time. Podcasts are growing rapidly in popularity, and are cheaper to produce than most other content, and you can build a global audience for you brand. Get started with podcasting today.
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