Podcasting is a great way to connect with your audience and share your ideas, opinions, or specialist knowledge. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated – just informative or entertaining. With so many people listening to podcasts these days, it’s tempting to try it doing them yourself, especially if you have something to say.
If this is you, you may be wondering how to get them up and running. This article will fill you in on 6 tips from successful podcasters on how to start doing this successfully.
What Is Podcasting?
Podcasting consists of an episodic series of digital audio files which are released over the Internet. This is achieved using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers. Podcasts can either be streamed online or downloaded to your computer. Once you have subscribed via RSS, all new episodes will automatically download whenever they’re published.
1.Use The Right Software
Podcasts require a lot of work, especially if you use the software you’d need if you want your podcast to be available on iTunes (which we highly recommend). There are cheaper ways to host your podcast but many of these free services will make the upload process difficult for beginners. You’d only have one file per episode rather than an entire folder full of audio files.
You should read reviews from other successful podcasters before committing your time and money to specific software. If you consider Buzzsprout you can read a review on their product online, discovering its pros and cons and also learning about such alternatives as Podbean, Transistor, Anchor, and Castos. Make sure to visit https://melonapp.com/features/podcast-hosting/ to consider a free podcasting software app. The internet is a great way to find out about pricing and platform features (such as chapter markers and statistics dashboards) before you finally decide.
2.Work On Your Content
Think carefully about your chosen subject and make sure it’s both interesting and popular. Listen to other podcasts in your field and see what they do well (and not so well). If you gain a lot of followers you may be able to make money from hosting ads on your site or selling products through affiliate marketing programs like Amazon Associates.
Keep it short! Some people don’t want to spend more than 10 minutes listening to episodes (unless they’re in the car). Having said that, most podcasts are between 15-30 minutes long. Find out if there are any copyright restrictions that would prevent you from using certain music, sound effects, etc. When recording, make sure that the sound quality is high. Publish frequently but don’t overdo it – aim for once every 2 weeks if possible.
3.Identify Your Target Audience
This is one of the most important things you can do before you get started with podcasting. It will help you choose your material, and it’s also good for SEO purposes so people find your show on iTunes (or wherever they listen). This research involves finding out what words people are searching for on your chosen subject. They are what you should be using, rather than your own personal preferences and choices.
So who are these mysterious listeners? Ask yourself: Who would be interested in what I have to say on this subject? Think about exactly ‘who’ you’re talking to and how best to reach them. Are they looking for entertainment or education? What is their age, gender, or whereabouts? What other subjects would interest them?
4.Create Your Own Website
You could create your own website for hosting your podcast, and you can find plenty of free website builders on the internet. It’s recommended that you use WordPress because it is one of the most popular website builders. You can easily install plugins that will help you get started with your podcasts. Another website that you can use for hosting your podcast is Libsyn. This website allows you to create a free account, and you can upload three hours of audio content per month.
It’s important to note the difference between storage space and bandwidth because if you’re not careful, you may end up paying more than you need. Storage space refers to how much data (in GB) can be stored on the host’s servers. Bandwidth refers to the amount of traffic allowed in/out each day or month, depending on the price plan you choose. You’ll want enough so that people downloading your episodes won’t notice any interruptions. They could occur if you have slow-to-load web pages due to there being high volumes of visitors at once.
5.Think About Subscriptions And Blogs
When people enjoy a certain person’s Youtube videos, they may subscribe to their account. This way they’ll be notified when new ones have become available. In a similar way, make sure that when you upload new podcast episodes it’s easy for people who subscribed on iTunes (or another site/app/podcast player) to get notified when new content has been released. This way, they can download it right away.
It’s important to write regular quality blogs because you can use them to announce your new episodes and to provide content links. This way, people who are interested in learning about you or your content can follow along on the blog as well as your podcasts. The same thing applies to social media.
6.Plan For The Future
Use social media (especially if you already have an audience) to ask your followers what they’d like to hear more about. Use social media tools such as Twitter polls or Facebook groups to find out how best to reach your target audiences and keep them engaged long term.
SEO networking sites are a great way to find out who’s listening to your show. If you find one that fits your niche, join it and start asking questions about what people are looking for in the industry or chosen topic. This can help you get ideas for future episodes too.
Hopefully, you’re all set to begin your exciting journey into podcasting. With the right research and tools, you may end up with a large following, as people continue to enjoy your excellent content for many years to come.