PODCASTING MADE SIMPLE

There are many great and effective ways to get your business to the world and reach the right audience. Many businesses use social media, YouTube, or blogs and always meet their goals. However, podcasting is one of the most effective marketing methods that only a few people take advantage of.

Millions of people prefer and listen to audios every single day. So, why not take advantage of this and use it to reach a bigger audience, connect with potential clients at a personal level, and raise brand awareness.

We will cover the importance of starting a podcast, help you create one, optimize it for SEO, and get more listeners.

GETTING STARTED

Podcasts are an easy way to connect with your audience because they are portable and can be used on any device. They give your listeners the convenience they need and help them to easily engage with your content on the go. At the gym, at the office, when jogging, or doing household chores.

Know and understand the importance of starting a podcast and growing your business.

5 benefits of producing a podcast.

1. It’s easy.

Podcasts are easy to set up and don’t require advanced tech skills. This means that anyone can start one. You don’t have to be tech-savvy to meet your goals. The process is easy, straight to the point, and doesn’t require much. So, take advantage of that to raise brand awareness and market your business.

2. You get to connect with your audience at a personal level.

Audios and videos are a great way to effectively connect and share information. A lot of people prefer them because they make it easy for listeners to follow along. So, connect with your followers, boost engagement, and build meaningful relations via your podcast.

3. It’s cost-effective.

One of the main things that make it difficult for most businesses to reach their marketing goals, increase sales, or grow their audience are costs that are involved in the entire process. However, you can use your podcast to achieve your goals and reduce marketing expenses. There are tons of free as well as affordable resources you can use to create and launch your podcasts and meet your goals.

4. You can effectively share your content.

An effective content marketing strategy is the key to success and you need one for your business. The way you structure and share your content determines who engages with it and for how long. As mentioned earlier, audios are one of the most effective ways to grab your audience’s attention and retain it. Plus, you can share as much information as you desire, whichever way you see fit. This helps listeners to understand your business better and ensures you help them keep track of new and important information. Such as new updates, upcoming events, exciting offers, promotions, and so on.

Record short or lengthy audios and videos. It all depends on what you want, what your audience prefers, as well as the type of information you are sharing. For example, you can create short audios for inspiration or when announcing a new product feature. Record long videos when sharing DIYs, tutorials, or running interviews.

Add eye-catching images. Use the best editing software to produce professional content that represents your brand the right way.

5. You reach an untapped market.

Connect with an audience that the competition hasn’t reached yet and meet your professional goals. Podcasts are great in that they not only let you share information with a specific audience but people outside your target market. So, take advantage of that and use it to get your business to the intended destination.

Now that you are convinced that podcasts are a great way to market to a bigger audience, connect with potential customers, boost engagement, and grow your business let’s move on to the next step; answering the ‘why’ part of the equation.

HAVE GOALS

The key to a successful podcast is having goals and answering the most important questions such as; Why do I want to start a podcast? Who do I want to reach? And how will I keep my listeners engaged?

A lot of people fail because they jump into it without specifying their goals or coming up with an effective content strategy. For instance, what do you want to talk about? What kind of information do you want to share? How are you going to keep your listeners engaged and interested in what you have to say?

Take the following steps to ensure success:

● Have a purpose.

This is the most important step because it keeps you on track, helps you produce quality content, and retain your audience. So, what is your purpose? Is it to build authority, build brand awareness, or connect with your existing clients at a personal level? Perhaps you want to get into podcasting to grow your audience since there is less competition? Whatever your purpose, make sure you clearly define it.

Set S.M.A.R.T goals to make the most of your efforts and achieve the results you desire. S.M.A.R.T goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

● Create a content strategy.

What sort of content are you going to share and how often? Come up with an effective strategy that will keep listeners coming back. Identify your audience and plan accordingly. Produce valuable information that will help them meet their goals or at least take them a step closer. This will help you to build authority and become the go-to person for particular advice. When you mention your website, product, or service your listeners will be more than happy to check it out because they trust you.

So, decide on the main message of your podcast. Is it informational? Are you offering specific advice within your niche? Or are you training your audience to do ABC?

After knowing what content to provide and what it focuses on, move on to the next step.

● Pick a theme.

Pick a topic that you are well-versed in, one that excites you, or one you enjoy researching. This is the only way to succeed. Find out how much information you can share and whether or not you can create as many episodes as possible focusing on that theme. You want to share useful information that no one else is sharing or the kind that keeps people thinking “I’m learning a lot from this series.” Each theme can have up to 10 episodes or so.

● Choose the right name.
Next, pick a name for your podcast. Select one that accurately describes your content and helps people easily understand what kind of information they’ll find. Your podcast name should be noteworthy and memorable. It should raise curiosity or convince your target audience that they are going to somehow benefit from it.

After setting your goals, coming up with an effective content strategy, and picking the right name, move on to the most exciting part;

CREATE YOUR PODCAST

You don’t have to be a professional content creator or tech guru to get your podcast live. Your will or determination is all that’s needed.

Take the following steps to create your podcast and reach your aims:

● Pick the right description.

It’s important to mention your description and category before getting to the nitty-gritty. So, when you write your description make sure it is perfectly optimized for SEO. Meaning, you should include keywords that will help with rankings. Use words or phrases that are in line with your theme as well as ones that describe what your podcast is about. Avoid keyword-stuffing. Allow your target phrases to seamlessly fit in with your content.

Find out what people normally search for when looking for certain information and use those keywords on each episode description. Remember to also pick the right category and subcategory that fits your theme to ensure people easily find you.

● Choose a format.

Next, decide on the format. Will you be interviewing thought-leaders? Are you going to co-host? Will you be offering the latest news to your listeners? Or perhaps you’ll be teaching your audience how to do ABC? There are countless formats to use. Go with one that will allow you to continuously provide interesting information and improve listenership. The kind that you are willing to research and are happy to share.

● Pick the right equipment.

Use quality equipment for quality audio and video output as well as to keep your audience coming back. You can simply use your iPhone and a good pair of headphones to create your first podcast or invest in the basic equipment such as high-quality microphones for your PC, a pop filter, as well as call recording and audio recording software.

Know and select the best editing and recording software. Choose the best software for as little as $200 (overall cost). You can get a pop filter for as little as $5, a form ball for $3, boom arm for $15, professional headphones for $50, and so forth. It’s a small investment with big returns.

● Record your first episode.

Record your first episode. Decide on the layout. Is it audio or video? What sort of music are you going to use at the beginning and end? And will you use background music throughout? Your intro music should be the same as your closing music. Remember to always introduce yourself at the beginning of your podcast with your background music on. Mention what you will talk about and get to it right away. Pick the right song, music, or background sound because people judge your content based on your presentation. So, raise excitement and capture attention by playing lively music. The kind that adds personality to your content and goes well with it.

Remember to have a regular podcast schedule. Meaning, if you post weekly and on Wednesdays, make sure you stick to that.

● Use editing software.

Create an attention-grabbing cover art to attract people to your post. Hire a designer on freelancing sites such as Freelancer or use editing software such as Canva or Adobe photoshop. Remember, your cover picture is the first thing people see when browsing for podcasts. So, ensure it looks professional.

Now that you have successfully created your podcast and are satisfied with the results, it’s time to ensure it ranks high on search engines and gets noticed.

OPTIMIZE IT FOR SEO

So, reach more people and ensure your podcast ranks high on SERPs by doing the following:

● Choose the right topics.

You want to create something that people want and are willing to listen to. So, the first thing is to cover important and on-demand topics. Know your audience and provide the kind of information they need. Search for high-ranking keywords or popular topics around your niche and use them for your podcasts. When you identify common themes, go to high-ranking blogs or sites. Find out how many shares, likes, and comments specific articles or posts have. Use the same topic on your podcast or put a spin on it.

Identify high-ranking keywords and mention them on your audio or video for rankings. You can include them in your intro, or as questions throughout your content. Make sure it goes well with what you are saying. Don’t keyword stuff your content as a way to increase traffic.

Use Ubersuggest for topic ideas, content curation ideas, and to gain in-depth information on specific topics such as its popularity, the number of shares, backlinks, and so on.

● Optimize your title and descriptions.

Next, make sure your title and descriptions are perfectly optimized for SEO. Optimize for each episode. Use relevant keywords that accurately describe your content or the information you are sharing. Make sure users know how they will benefit. Convince them to want to listen to your audio or download it. Use phrases that cater to their needs, show them what they are going to benefit from it, or ones that pique their interest. For example, if your content focuses on helping your audience make money online, use “5 legit ways to make an extra $1000 per month working from home” for one of your topics. This already gives the user a clear description of what they’ll find and encourages him to listen till the end.

● Use the right structure.

Create sections and split your content into different chapters. This will make it easy for your audience to jump to the information they are looking for and is great for SEO.

● Use social media.

Use social media networks to get more listeners and downloads. Advertise and promote your podcast to your existing audience. Talk about the purpose of your podcast and what they’ll benefit from it. Encourage them to share with friends as well.

● Submit it to the right directories.

You can submit your podcast to as many channels as you like to grow traffic. However, the most effective way to go about it is to use the best ones. For example, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube. The great thing about this is that these platforms already have millions even billions of loyal and active users and will, therefore, help you reach a much bigger audience.

Remember to promote your podcast via email marketing or by advertising it on your blog for better engagement. Get subscribers and send daily or weekly emails to them before the official launch. This is a great way to raise curiosity and keep them looking forward to the final launch.

When you start to appear on search engines and users begin listening to your audios and videos move on to the next step;

GET MORE LISTENERS

Improve listenership, convert first-time visitors to loyal listeners, and grow your podcast by implementing the best marketing strategy.

Do the following:

● Create a website.

Create a website or a landing page for your podcast and optimize it for SEO. Give people an MVP or minimum viable product and get them excited about the final product. This will help you to figure out whether or not it’s something that has a market or something that people are interested in. Your website can have one or two episodes of an entire series. You can upload intro videos for your topics and market them to your audience. Give your listeners a reason to visit your YouTube channel and engage with the rest of your content. Talk about what you cover in the following episodes, who will feature, how the information will benefit them, and so on.

● Ask for reviews.

Ask listeners to review and comment on each recording. Mention how their reviews will help others find your content and how it encourages you to keep producing valuable content. When someone leaves a comment, be sure to mention it on your next recording. Show appreciation to everyone who reviewed or commented. Say “Thank you for your awesome reviews and comments. Your support means a lot and is one of the main things that keep me going.” Mention one or two names and thank them for their comments.

● Have a newsletter.

You can also create a newsletter and ask your existing audience to subscribe. Ask your Facebook followers, YouTube subscribers, Twitter followers, and LinkedIn community members to join your mailing list. Use emails to promote your podcast. Send weekly emails. Share valuable content and important information such as links to your podcast, the launch date, and so on. Add CTAs and guide users through your content.

● Establish your online presence.

Establish your presence on social media groups and communities. Be the go-to person for certain advice. For example, offer practical advice and constructive answers to questions on Quora. Join relevant groups and participate in discussions. This will make it easy for you to get email subscribers when you ask for them. Especially when users are benefitting from your responses.

● Partner up with influencers.

Last but not least, you can partner up with influencers. Identify individuals, companies, or blogs with authority and high traffic volumes and work with them. You can either feature them on one of your episodes or ask them to mention your podcast to their followers. Form a relationship with them. Leave constructive and noticeable comments on blogs or websites. Share and like their posts. Engage with their content first, become a loyal fan, and then reach out to them

Find out what they can benefit from the partnership and mention it in your proposal. For example, offer a specific service for free or at a massive discount to grab their attention. Find out their business purpose and needs, where applicable, and provide a solution. Do a brilliant job and deliver on what you promise.

Bonus

Monetize your podcast by joining reputable affiliate programs and becoming an affiliate.

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