Starting a podcast is not hard. There is a definite initial investment for getting off the ground, but it is not a big one. All you really need is the right equipment – with a focus on audio quality – and an internet connection. Hispanic motivational speech and podcast broadcasters Plurawl, who have seen success with their show on Latino culture and issues, say that it is also wise to have a strong idea of who your listeners are right from the very beginning (even if you don’t actually have them yet).
Those two things are, of course, down to you and any podcast is a non-starter if you don’t have them. However, after you have worked that out, there are certainly tips you can follow to make the first couple of weeks and months a success. This includes building a strong podcast brand, marketing it, and some more practical tips such as putting together a backlog of episodes before you begin, aiming towards inviting guests, and engaging in some marketing to spread word about the podcast.
Getting Moving
If you do all the above and your content is original and entertaining, then your podcast should begin to truck along, picking up speed as it goes. You have a grace period in which to build your first set of listeners and to spread word about your podcast. Nevertheless, just like in business the enemy is stagnation and/or not realizing when it is time to grow.
The first couple of weeks or months will likely involve some type of stabilization of your podcast, producing regular episodes and solidifying your identity (there might be a degree of tweaking the formula for some time). Eventually though, the time will come when you need to expand your listener base and gain listeners who tune in regularly. It is important not to miss this. You will know it has come along when the podcast stabilizes but doesn’t seem to grow listener-wise.
Tips for Expanding Your Listeners
So, with everything else in place, the way you grow is by expanding your listener base. Here follows some tips to this end:
Create a Podcast Trailer
This is a form of podcast marketing, and it will hopefully have similar effects to creating a podcast brand and wrapping your episodes in an intro and outro. It’s all about creating something easily recognizable as your podcast. However, you don’t create a trailer right away, simply because the best trailers usually contain some sort of excerpt from episodes that will tease listeners about the content of your show. It will also require a video camera, which is a further investment. Nonetheless, put together a great trailer, and your profile is sure to rise.
Calls to Action
Calls to action (CTAs) are when you encourage your listeners to engage with the podcast in some active way. This is best done when you already have regular listeners to follow your encouragement. This can be something as simple as asking them to follow you on social media or to subscribe to the podcast.
Invite Guests – And Be a Guest Yourself
This is difficult to do at the start. However, once you have listeners, you can start reaching out to other podcast makers and appear on their shows. You can also start to get better guests – i.e., guests that listeners know. If you can pull this off, your listener base is sure to expand. You are essentially tapping into other listener bases.
Podcasts need to keep moving and expanding or their likely to decline in popularity. The trick is to know when to grasp the nettle – and to grasp it firmly.
