With everyone being asked to do their part to stay indoors, we as podcasters are facing an interesting time in the podcast industry. If you're working on your podcast from home that is fantastic! I have put together a list of 5 tips to make your podcast standout now more than ever.
Podcasts are not going anywhere and with there being over 900,000 active podcasts on the market, being consistent is critical if you want to stand out. Plan ahead by putting together a content plan that keeps the focus on your avatar and always releases new episodes on the same day and time.
When Kalena and I first started recording our podcast,"UNITED State of Women" we learned quickly that in order to be consistent we needed to get ahead of the show. In order to do that, we would plan episodes in advance around a theme or message that fit a theme for that season. It helped me focus on what guests to interview and how to lay our scripts out so that we could save time and increase productivity.
2. After you have figured out what direction you want the show to go in and the date you want to consistently release episodes on, it is important for you to be the expert. When I look for guests to bring on our podcast I make sure to interview them beforehand. In the event that a guest is interested in coming on the show to talk about things that either Kalena and I are capable of talking about I have found that I can still find a way to bring that guest on but it might be on a on a subject that we are curious about learning more about.
Having that plan will make it easy to spot potential guests. Given that everyone for the most part is at home right now, it should not be too difficult to find guests for your podcast. Connect to your network and start asking around.
3. There are many ways to promote your podcast (websites, blogs, social media groups, etc.) and at the end of the day it's more about preference on how you want to promote the show. Remember your listeners want to support you, ask them to share episodes with friends. I talk about our podcast, UNITED State of Women all of the time. Not because I have the goal to promote it so much but because I am passionate about the show we have created. Promote your show in conversation at social gatherings by referring to episodes on your show when applicable.
Next to talking about the show to everyone you know, my next proffered way to promote our podcast is via social media. Have you heard of Audiograms? They are these nifty images that play a clip from your podcast directly on the image, you will typically see sound bars in some form on the image that play as the track is going. If you need help creating Audiograms contact me (thebusinesspodcasteditor@gmail.com), I am here to help!
4. Like I mentioned earlier, your listeners WANT to support you. A great way for them to do that is by leaving you a review. Asking for reviews at the end of each episode is a simple way to ask your listeners for support. Reviews are important because they show other podcast listeners that you have a following. This builds credibility and trust which will inevitably support you in becoming the go to resource for your subject.
Always ask for reviews.
5. Make sure your podcast stays current. You can plan an episode 6 months in advance and still add fresh new information to that episode right before it releases. Trends change so frequently and that is why it is important to apply your episodes to what is going on currently.
I have found that I might push out certain episodes at different times because of certain events going on. For example, it would not make as much sense to promote an episode about breast cancer awareness in September during Leukemia awareness month. The point I am getting at is, you might find that although you have originally planned to release that episode on a certain date that there is a better date on the calendar to let that episode air.
I hope that you gained some new knowledge on how to make your podcast standout. If you are tired of editing your podcasts or you want more information about Audiograms, you can e-mail me directly at: thebusinesspodcasteditor@gmail.com