For anyone that commutes on a regular basis, you’ll know that podcasts are an amazing travel companion. They’re usually a set length, they contain plenty of great information, facts, and stories, and they’re usually hosted by talented individuals that have a great voice and know how to communicate with their audience.
In fact, you may have thought about starting your own podcast. Perhaps you’re an expert on a certain subject, love to rant about current affairs or think that you have what it takes to tell a story. Whatever your reason for wanting to host a podcast, we’ve got a quick and simple guide that will help you jumpstart your idea.
Focus on your idea
Make sure you have an idea to start a podcast on. It doesn’t really matter what your idea is as long as you’re passionate about it. Don’t fall into the trap of doing something that is currently popular or trending because it’ll probably fall out of favor sooner or later. Starting a podcast on something you enjoy will make new ideas come more easily and will give you an excellent start.
Find an audience
You also need an audience for your ideas. Create a profile of your ideal audience member and try to aim for those types. For instance, if you’re talking about video games, then the type of games you talk about and the era they’re from will drastically change the audience you’ll get.
Invest in a good microphone
No one likes to listen to a podcast with poor audio quality. You’ll need to invest in a good-quality microphone so that your listeners won’t complain about your poor audio quality. Make sure you get yourself a pop filter as well and try to record the audio in a relatively quiet and isolated room so background noise isn’t a problem.
Create a website
Every podcast needs a website. Whether it’s a blog, a personalized site or even a Facebook page, make sure you have something for your readers to use as a hub for all of your episodes and news. Designing a website doesn’t take long but if you want to look more professional, it’ll cost you a bit of your budget.
Find a host
You’ll also need to find a host for your podcasts. Many people use services like Soundcloud which are made for music but work great as general audio hosts for podcasts. You could also use iTunes by submitting your podcast and having it appear in the store. This does require a bit of extra effort (such as having a logo and waiting for verification from Apple) but it gives you a lot of exposure.
Get on social media
Lastly, remember to promote yourself on social media. Be it Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, cross-post on several different social media sites and get interacting with people to grow an audience. This is also a great way to meet influencers and potentially have guest appearances on your podcast that will increase your exposure and help you grow as a podcast.
