What to Do When Starting a Podcast?

The digital world has become so vast and versatile that there are now dozens of new ways to create and promote content - from written content in e-books, articles, blogs to video content, and most recently, audio content displayed in podcasts. 

Podcasting has been all the rage in recent years for those who prefer to listen to content than sift through a thousand-word article, not to mention it’s also a great way for self-expression. If you’re considering starting your own podcast, here’s what you need to do:

1. Stay Focused And Organized

When you’re starting a podcast, you must ask yourself a few important questions, like what you’re aiming to gain from this decision. Are you aiming to be a leader in a certain industry, to generate leads for a business, to share an important message, or just for fun? Thinking about your podcast goals will help you move forward to plan and determine how you create and market your content. Once you have that down, put together a checklist to organize all your thoughts about what you’re trying to do with this podcast. It will be a great source to go back to when you need to remember your initial goals.  

2. What Are You All About?

When you’re starting a podcast, the first thing to do  is create a concept or choose a niche. It can be as broad as you can think of, or you can go with something more specific to shine a light on. However, be careful in your choice because once you choose a niche and get started, you’ll have to be completely committed to it. That’s why it should be something that you’re passionate about and don’t mind constantly researching and reading about it. It must always excite you so that it shows in your voice and content. A good way to find your niche is to plan 25 episode ideas for the topics you’re considering. Moreover, think about if you’ll still love it in one year from starting. 

3. Make Some Important Decisions

Now it’s time to put some of your decision-making skills into action because this step will create your podcast’s frame. You’ll need to decide on a name for your show that is creative, catchy, and clear. Start looking for a podcast hosting platform that best serves your podcasting purposes. It must be a high-quality, reliable platform, and the experts over at Wired Clip believe that it should also aid beginners and guide them towards their goals. You’ll require a platform that helps you expand, grow, and even monetize your podcast. Another important decision to make is the theme music and cover art that reflects your personality and the chosen niche.

4. Get The Proper Gear

To make sure you have a high-quality podcast that people can enjoy, you’ll need to arm yourself with the best gear you can manage to afford. At first, you should just get the essentials; then, you can get the full professional podcasting kit as you grow. For now, your basics will be a microphone, headphones, and editing software. You might also need certain equipment that reduces echo in the space you record in for better quality. However, you can skip most of this equipment and just use your iPhone. It may not sound as clear as professional podcasts, but for a start, it’ll do the trick.

5. Create Consistent Content

Content is the key to any success in the digital world; it’s what sets you aside from competitors and creates your personal brand. For this reason, you must put together a thorough content plan to keep it running smoothly and consistently, so your listeners stay interested and engaged. 

When you’re just starting, you’re bound to have a few misses here and there, and that’s okay. However, you can prepare for these situations with extra high-quality content stashed away to follow-up with whenever you have a miss. It is also a good idea to make your own distinct intro and outro that you open and close the show with for every episode, so it becomes your trademark.

Ultimately, what’s most important when starting a podcast is to enjoy it to the fullest. Whether you’re doing it for business or pleasure, it must be something that lets you showcase your intelligence, creativity, and unique personality. The best thing about it is how much you will learn from it because, with time, you’ll be single-handedly responsible for the marketing and monetizing of your podcast. So, learn as much as you can while doing something you’re passionate about.