Listening to podcasts has become increasingly popular in recent years. According to the latest reports, there are more than 457 million podcast listeners worldwide. This number is even expected to rise consistently over the next few years as more and more people discover the wonders of audio-only content. 

 

Although there are nearly half a billion listeners globally, the number of podcast channels and episodes is relatively scarce. Data shows there are roughly 5 million podcasts online with around 70 million episodes. Considering this, the demand for podcast content is high, and creators have a wide-open opportunity to start creating their podcast channels.

 

However, starting a podcast from scratch is more challenging than people think. To help you with this, here is a simple guide and some tips on building a podcast channel and growing an audience.

 

Step-by-Step Guide To Creating A Podcast

Source: Unsplash

 

Choose a topic

You can start a podcast for a wide variety of reasons. You can do it as a hobby, a passion project, or as a marketing tool. However, it is ideal that you choose a topic that you are passionate about or an expert at. Taking your interests, knowledge, and background into consideration can help guide you on what topics or niches you’ll be able to create content around.


However, other factors you should consider when choosing a topic are your target audience and the objectives of your podcast channel. Let’s say that you’re starting a podcast as part of your ecommerce marketing strategy. 

 

Then, you would have to build a channel revolving around your business niche and create content that can meet your marketing objectives, such as promoting your brand and educating your audience. 

 

Decide on a podcast format

Not all podcasts are delivered in the same way and manner. Some are like audiobooks while others feature several hosts conversing or interviewing each other. Taking this into consideration, the next step you need to take is to choose a suitable podcast format. 

 

Here are some of the most common podcast formats.

 

  • Interview Podcast
  • Reporting Podcast
  • Panel Podcast
  • Co-hosted Podcast
  • Documentary Podcast
  • Story-telling Podcast

 

Your choice of podcast format will help you set up for recording. Interview podcasts would require you to find guests while co-hosted or panel podcasts would need several sets of equipment for each speaker. On the other hand, documentaries and story-telling podcasts would need a finished script for you to read when recording. 

 

Start recording

Once you’ve decided on a podcast format, the next step would be to prepare yourself for recording. This includes setting up the necessary equipment and location to set up a conducive space where there is minimal noise and distractions.

 

You can start recording your podcast even on a limited budget. You don’t have to spend and invest so much on your microphone, headphone, and other devices. But although you can start simple, always consider upgrading to higher-quality equipment as you go grow your podcast channel.

 

Once you’ve set up your recording space, all you need to do is start recording. Keep in mind that it is always better to record longer. If you’re planning to record a 20 to 30-minute interview episode, expect that you would be recording for at least an hour. It is better to have excess content to cut and polish than to have limited content with less value.

 

Edit and polish your podcast

Your podcast channel should never have raw, unedited, and unfiltered content. To keep your episodes at a high quality, always take the time to edit and polish your recordings. 

 

Editing your recorded audio will allow you to delete background noise and create clear and crisp sounds. You can also get rid of off-topic conversations, narration mistakes, and the like to keep your episodes short and concise. 

 

If you’re not as confident in your sound editing and engineering skills, you can hire virtual assistants who can do this for you. You can hire them full-time, part-time, or at an hourly rate and delegate this part of your podcast content creation process.

 

Create your podcast channel

After completing several podcast episodes, you can now move on to publishing your content online. To do this, you would have to create an account on your choice of podcast hosting channel. 

 

Spotify and Apple Podcasts are home to some of the most popular platforms to publish podcasts because of their already mainstream use and large user base. However, there are several alternative platforms such as Anchor, Buzzsprout, Podbean, and Spreaker. 

 

Part of creating your podcast channel is you should come up with a suitable podcast channel name, cover art, and episode titles. Ideally, your podcast channel or name should reflect your niche or topic. 

 

It could also align with your brand or target audience. The same goes for your episode titles and cover art. Adding relevant keywords and images can help make your channel or episodes more visible in search results and engaging for your audience.

 

Post your podcast online

Once your podcast channel and episodes are all ready to go, all you need to do is upload and publish them on your choice of podcast hosting platform. Make sure to add the necessary details such as primary language and category, as well as brief and concise descriptions. Doing so will provide listeners with an idea of what your podcast is all about. 

 

Helpful Tips To Grow Your Podcast Audience

Source: Pexels

 

Creating a podcast channel and uploading episodes online is one thing. However, drawing listeners and growing an audience is a whole different journey. Successful podcasts don’t happen overnight. With that, here are some helpful tips that can help your channel perform, as well as your favorite podcasts.

 

Stay consistent

Much like any endeavor, consistency is key. In the same way that the key to a fit and healthy body is to consistently exercise and eat right, uploading episodes on your podcast channel religiously can help in growing your channel and building a loyal listener base.

 

Establish a content calendar and strive to meet your upload schedules. Whether you decide to upload daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, the goal is to always have something to offer when your audience expects it. 

 

Optimize your podcast content

Rookie podcast players don’t know what search engine optimization is for podcasts. However, optimizing your content is essential to improving their online visibility and discoverability. Adding keywords to your episode titles is one way to optimize your podcast content. Other methods include adding transcriptions, podcast chapters, as well as optimized descriptions.

 

Collaborate with other podcast channels

Some may think that growing a podcast channel is a one-man type of thing. Since you created it, it is only up to you to draw listeners. However, that is actually not the case. One of the most effective ways to grow an audience is to work closely with other podcast creators. 

 

Collaborations between podcasters are fairly common. Whether you appear on another podcast as a guest or invite a fellow podcast host to your show, doing this provides you with exposure to an audience other than your own. 

 

Bottomline

Starting a podcast channel from scratch can be an exciting and daunting journey. It would be fun to talk about things that you are passionate about, share your expertise, or simply offer entertaining stories for people to listen to. However, doing so comes with the grueling process of planning, recording, publishing, and marketing your podcast in order to get listeners. 

 

If you’re planning to start a podcast, it is important that you prepare yourself. Podcasting can be time-consuming, especially when you are doing it all on your own. 

 

Consider hiring virtual assistants that can provide you with some help and support when creating content. Whether it’s to write scripts, edit records, create thumbnails, or even advertise your channel. There is a perfect virtual assistant job out there exactly for your needs. 

 

Want to know more about how virtual assistants can help in podcast creation? Sidekicks is an on-demand virtual company, and we’re eager to help visionaries and entrepreneurs like you. Get a free ebook and learn more about how we can help you by signing up for our newsletter. We also offer a free 30-minute consultation if you prefer something more personal.

 

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