The podcast industry is booming!! Or at least that’s what everyone is saying. Before that it was blogging, now we have moved to audio or is it video? Who knows? Whatever the case, have you decided that you want to take a crack at starting your own podcast? But where do you begin? Here’s my opinion and how to start a podcast.
Pick A Topic
What is your podcast going to be about? Is it something that you like to talk about? Is it something that people want to listen to? Are there other podcasts on this topic?
It’s easy to decide a topic to talk about. You can just pick anything. But, if you want people to actually download/listen to your podcast, you might want to put more thought into choosing your overall podcast topic. You can always pivot later, but start with something that meets your needs and the needs of your potential audience.
List your first 10 Episodes
You have your topic. Now, how many episodes can you get out of it? If you’re stuck on one, go back to step number one. If you can’t think of at least 10 episodes to record related to your topic of choice, imagine how much harder it’s going to be to choose 20 or 30 or 100. Starting a podcast is a long-term game. You could get lucky and jump to the top of the charts straight out of the gate, but I’d imagine you still need at least 10 episodes for your audience to listen to.
Guests or No Guests
Do you plan to interview guests on your podcast or go solo? You don’t have to make this decision right away, but think about it. For the first half of my first season, I did all solo episodes. Then, I took a ‘podcast break’ and interviewed guests for the second half of the season so that my audience would know that there are other people out there just like them who went from aspiring to going after the things that they dreamed of. This made sense for my podcast. Do what makes sense for yours.
Podcast Management
Does this list of steps seem daunting? Are you turned off from podcasting thinking about having to do ‘all the things’?
I didn’t create the list to scare you or turn you off of your goal of starting a podcast. I just want you to have realistic expectations of what it means to start a podcast. Yes, it can be as simple as sitting in your closet and pressing record, but then what? The shows aren’t going to air themselves or market themselves to your awaiting audience. Guests aren’t going to just show up at your closet door, ready to be interviewed.
I realized that when I started my own podcast, Drop the Aspiring Act. I had to create processes around creating/scheduling social media graphics, finding podcast guests, and recording/editing my episodes. I’ve decided to add these services to my virtual assistant business for podcast hosts who need the extra help getting their podcast started. If that’s you, check out my Podcast Management Services to learn more.
Your Virtual Asset (VA) @ Outsource Mondays
Have you already started a podcast? Drop your podcast name/link in the comments so I can check it out. I love finding new podcasts to add to my playlist.