Podcasts have surged in popularity as a favoured avenue for individuals and businesses to grow their brands and connect with their audiences. This increasing popularity has led to a saturated market with millions of podcasts all over the world. Standing out and succeeding in this competitive environment poses a challenge.
Being able to create a successful podcast requires skill, planning, time, and investment. A successful podcast will allow you to truly connect with your audience and build a loyal fan base that will tune into your weekly episodes. Yet, attaining this level of success is no easy task. First, let's talk about what a podcast is and what defines a “good” podcast.
What is a Podcast and What Makes a “Good” Podcast?
A podcast is an audio program that you can subscribe to and listen to on your phone. Podcasts usually release episodes on a regular schedule and are focused on a specific topic. They are very similar to radio shows but have the flexibility of on-demand listening.
What makes a “good” podcast is very subjective. Everyone’s definition differs but some fundamental aspects contribute to its success. For example, an engaging host is always essential. If your host isn’t able to engage the audience, you will struggle to gain traction as a podcast. Having a relevant and interesting topic is another factor. These are just some examples and below we have put together 14 tips for creating a successful podcast.
1) Have An Engaging Host
As previously mentioned, an interesting and engaging host is a key first step to creating a podcast. There isn’t a singular set of qualities that defines a good host. Much of it has to do with how you talk, present, and carry yourself. Engaging your audience is incredibly important to maintain attention throughout long podcast episodes. Below are some important characteristics that a host should have among many others:
● Passion and knowledge for the podcast topic.
● Ability to make guests and listeners feel comfortable and heard.
● Be yourself and authentic.
● Ability to find the right guests.
2) Pick your Niche
As previously mentioned, you need to pick the right topic. Attempting to target everyone isn’t beneficial; instead, find a topic that resonates with your target audience. For instance, a cosmetics company might create a podcast talking about the beauty industry while a student influencer could offer advice and talk about their university journey.
Knowing your target audience and picking a topic that resonates with them will ensure interest and engagement in your podcast. Not only should your target audience be interested, but you need to pick a topic that you are passionate about. Failure to do so might result in a lack of compelling content.
Remember, do your research. With the over saturation of the market, you need to make sure your idea will differentiate itself and stand out amidst a competitive market.
3) Choose the Right Guests
Choosing the right guest for your podcast is pivotal in gaining attention and sustaining growth. If you feature guests with large followings, this can be a great way to bring attention to your podcast. However, you must ensure your guest aligns with your podcast. That is, they need to be relevant. Pick a guest your audience wants to hear from and is knowledgeable about your podcast topic. Otherwise, your guest and podcast will have a mismatch and likely not be of interest to your target audience.
Targeting popular guests can be a difficult task. Mastering the art of delivering an effective pitch for your podcast is an important skill to have. Once you pick the right guest, you can create short clips of the episode and use this on social media for promotion.
4) Post Regularly
Once you start a podcast, creating a posting schedule is imperative. Whether this is weekly, biweekly, or monthly, you must be consistent with content release. Once you start to build a following, listeners will expect regular content from you. Irregular postings will lead to confusion and frustration among listeners. Keeping a regular schedule allows for consistency and loyalty to develop.
However, it is crucial to not overcommit yourself. Set a reasonable and achievable schedule. A schedule will help with tracking deadlines and strategizing content for future releases.
5) Quality
Quality is key. As mentioned before, you need a regular posting schedule but do not prioritize quantity over quality. Quality refers to the audio, the flow, the conversation, the editing, etc. Make sure you take the time to plan, produce, edit, and handle post-production. Making sure you invest the time into these factors can make the difference between a high-quality professional podcast and an amateur one.
Although it can be expensive, make sure you purchase the right audio equipment. Getting the right equipment can be essential in developing great sound quality. A poor-sounding podcast can be the reason listeners drop off your podcast.
6) Be Relatable
Connecting with your listeners is so important. Nowadays, authenticity holds significant value and embracing your true self will allow your listeners to form genuine connections with you and resonate with your stories.
Adopting a persona can appear as disingenuous and this can deter people from your podcast. A lack of authenticity can hinder the perceived value of your podcast.
7) Provide Value
There are many different types of podcasts around the world. Some are for educational purposes and some are simply for entertainment. Whatever the purpose is, your audience will only listen to your podcast if you are bringing them value. What are they going to take away from your podcast? Are they going to learn something new, are they getting advice, or are they simply getting a good laugh?
Listening to a podcast takes time out of your day. So, if you cannot provide any value to your listeners, they will likely stop listening to you over time.
8) Promote Your Podcast
You may have an amazing podcast, but it only matters if people know about it. When you decide to start a podcast, leverage social media, your website, etc. to inform your audience.
Continuously promote it, post short clips, and use guests to cross-promote. This can help to stimulate growth if you use effective marketing strategies.
Beyond marketing your podcast, ensuring good SEO is essential. If you can achieve this, you can drive more traffic to your website where you can feature information on your podcasts including previous episodes, transcripts, etc. You also want to make sure your podcast is optimized for search. This might entail optimizing the episode title, description, show name, etc.
You can use a full-service B2B Podcast Partner that can handle the entire process for you, from finding your ideal client to network with as a podcast guest on your show, to building an audience of your ideal customer niche. They can help you host, manage, and create written SEO, audio, and video content from each episode to grow your business.
9) Interact With Your Audience
It’s great if you have a loyal fan base that regularly listens to your podcast, but it is important to interact with your audience to deepen that loyalty. Develop a strong social media presence whether that be on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. Use these platforms to talk to your audience, keep them up to date, have conversations, and build a genuine community.
Encouraging listener participation by soliciting questions that can be used in future episodes can deepen engagement. For example, if you have a podcast centred around career advice, inviting listeners to submit personal questions they have regarding their careers enables them to feel more involved and valued. By addressing these questions in future episodes, you can demonstrate genuine concern thus fostering a stronger connection.
10) Tell Stories
Stories are a great way to connect with your audience while creating entertaining content. A strong storytelling ability can truly captivate an audience and keep them engaged. Think about the topic of your episode, and what you are discussing. Find a story in your life that relates to the topic and tell it. This allows the audience to better connect with you and understand the topic in an interesting light.
11) Planning is Key
Podcasts are meant to be natural and a casual conversation between guests and your audience. Despite this, it is important to plan and structure your podcast in advance. We still want the conversation to flow but it’s important to have a rough script or notes in case the conversation goes off track. You only have so much time in your podcast so you need to make sure you cover all your points. Planning will allow you to do so and maintain a consistent structure for your episodes.
12) Be Flexible
Starting a podcast is not an easy task. You might have to fail before you succeed. You have to be flexible if you want to achieve success. If you choose a niche that doesn’t end up working, be able to acknowledge that and move on. You might have to try multiple topics before you find the right fit for you.
Being flexible also means trying new things. You may have a good topic that works for you, but you must incorporate new trends that relate to your current theme in order to stay relevant. There are many viral trends online that you can capitalize on to drive growth and popularity for your podcast.
13) Call To Action
In creating a podcast, having actionable content can be vital for success. You might be educating your audience on a topic but having something they can act on helps them to be more engaged.
For example, if you are teaching your listeners how to become an influencer, you might give them directions on how to do this. You can provide them with articles or examples to reference and research. Provide them with resources they can use to learn more. You might give them the task of creating a short video that utilizes current trends. Asking your audience to execute something based on what you taught them is a great way of furthering that interaction with your viewers.
14) Make Sure Your Guests Are Prepared
As we discussed, featuring guests is a great way to gain new viewers from their following. Guests allow for new insights and valuable conversations. You want to make sure this feels natural and has an easy flow.
To ensure you get the most out of featuring a guest, you need to make sure your guest is prepared. You can provide them with questions in advance, notes, or a general outline of the episode. This will allow them to prepare stories, ideas, and responses so they have something to talk about during the episode. You don’t want to be caught in a situation where your guest is unsure of what to say or isn’t able to bring the best content. This allows for a more relaxed, enjoyable, and well-structured conversation.
Conclusion
It takes time and patience to build a successful podcast. Sometimes trial and error is key. Just remember, podcasts are a great way to share your story, and passions, and build a community. If you take these 14 tips, you will be on your way to creating a successful podcast. Now, it’s time to ask yourself, what untold stories and perspectives will your podcast unlock?
Written by Kaitlin Duong
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Jony Studios is a client-focused media production studio offering audio/video production, B2B podcasting, and audiobook services. They have worked with a wide range of clients from small businesses to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio and many others.
