If you understand the value of content marketing, then you’ll also understand the value of podcasting, and that’s probably why you’re here, reading this article.

Podcasting for Beginners: How to Launch a Successful Podcast

And now is a great time to get started because podcasting is far less crowded and competitive than blogging.

To put things into perspective, there are only around 1.75 million podcasts as of June 2021 but over 600 million blogs.

The number of people who listen to podcasts is steadily increasing. According to data from Edison Research, the number of Americans who listen to podcasts every week has grown by 175 % during the last five years, and around 90 million listen to a podcast every month.

As a business owner, launching your own podcast will give you access to a growing audience and help you build your brand and scale your business.

One of the major reasons why podcasts have become so popular is that they are a very convenient format. You can listen to them on different devices: personal computers, tablets, and smartphones.

And unlike radio, they’re on demand so you can listen to what you want when you want it. Plus there are a lot of topics to choose from depending on your interests.

Creating a podcast is easier than you might think. You don’t need to invest a lot of money, and you don’t have to be a very technical person. You also don’t have to have a blog or be an established content creator.

With a podcast, you can start building an audience and establish yourself as an expert in your field. You can drive traffic back to your website through a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of each show and by adding your link to the podcast directory.

This article will go through the first stages of launching a podcast so that you know what to do and feel motivated to get started right away!

Choose a Topic

The first step is to choose a topic for your podcast. Keep in mind that this needs to be something you can talk about for a long time – maybe over 100 episodes.

If you’re making a podcast because you want to attract people to your business, then you’ll obviously want the topic to be related.

For example, suppose you’re a personal trainer who gets sponsorships from companies that make health and fitness products.

In that case, you’ll want to attract the right audience, so your podcast should be about healthy eating, fitness, bodybuilding, or weight loss.

If you’re making a podcast based on a hobby, then your target audience will simply be people with the same hobby. Still, you don’t want your topic to be too broad.

Let’s say that you’re passionate about music. It will be difficult to find an audience for a podcast about music in general. It’s better to go with something more specific, like bluegrass music or whatever genre you’re more interested in.

You’ll also want to add a spin so you can set yourself apart from other podcasts about bluegrass music.

Choose a Co-Host

This one is optional, but it makes the whole process easier. Perhaps you share an interest with a friend, coworker, or business partner. If you get along well, taking turns sharing your opinions on that common interest will make the podcast more engaging.

Plus, then you’ll have someone to help you with tasks like editing and promotion.

But before you start working with them, you’ll want to make sure you’re both in it for the long haul. It’s also a good idea to make a schedule so you know when you’ll be recording each week.

Of course, you can also start solo and get a co-host later, and even if your co-host leaves, you can continue the podcast without them.

Choose a Name

When choosing a name, you have two options: you either go with a clever name or a descriptive one. There’s also a third one – to use your own name – but that only applies if you’re famous.

If you look through lists of podcasts on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Google Play, you’ll see both options. Some will give you a clear idea of what topic the show focuses on, while others are more mysterious.

Going with the clever option might intrigue people, but most users select podcasts based on their interest, so even if you include the topic in the description, they might not read that far.

The more boring but safer option is the descriptive name. Note that even though we said that your topic should not be too broad, it’s better to choose a name that is descriptive but not too specific so you can expand later.

You can add the details in the description. If people are interested in the broader topic, there’s a better chance they’ll take a few seconds to read it.

Choose the Format

What do you want your podcast to sound like? Most follow this structure: teaser, podcasts intro music, welcome, advertisement, interview, a call-to-action that sends listeners to your website, and outro music.

You can get creative, but this is the most familiar format for podcast listeners. You’ll also want to keep in mind that for each episode you release, you will have both repeat and new listeners, so make an effort to communicate to them both.

The length of the podcast depends on the content and your audience. Anything under 15 minutes is considered a short episode, while long episodes are over an hour. Most recommend 20 minutes so people can listen to their content on their commute.

However, if you said all you needed to say in ten minutes, don’t water it down to reach 20. Similarly, if you have good content for two hours, you can simply turn it into several episodes. You can also go over 20 minutes – the sweet spot seems to be between 20 and 45 minutes.

Each episode should include an intro and an outro because they add flair and personality to your podcast. Usually, they consist of music and short voiceover that mentions the name of the podcast, episode number, host or hosts, and the tagline or “hook” of the podcast.”