Every day, thousands of people are turning to podcasting as a way to grow their businesses, make new connections, and gain exposure. A recent Edison Research study found that one in five Americans has listened to at least one podcast within the last month.

It’s clear that podcasts are attractive for audiences who want entertainment or information. But how does one go about creating an original show that attracts subscribers? Here are some tips on how you can start your own successful podcast this year:

Step One: Decide Your Show’s Format

You can begin by brainstorming key points that must be included in each episode of your show over time. Then choose a format that pairs well with that information or segment. There are three primary types of podcast formats: interview, roundtable, and monologue.

In an interview-style show, the podcaster asks the guest questions about their life or business that may include personal anecdotes or tips for success. In a roundtable show, a host will bring on a few guests to discuss a specific topic in his or her industry using audience input as material. A monologue is just what it sounds like – one person talking for 30 minutes to an hour with no interruptions from other hosts or guests.

Step Two: Pick Your Topic Based on Your Passion

The best way to attract listeners is by choosing a topic you are passionate about. This will help you stay motivated to keep creating new episodes people will want to download, and make it more likely your audience will want to subscribe. 

A few questions to ask yourself when considering topics: Which industries do you serve? What are the most pressing issues facing your clients today? Which topics would you like to learn more about and share with your audience?

Step Three: Pick a Podcast Name and Relevant Hashtag

Once you have picked your topic, it’s time to think of a great podcast name. You want something memorable, not too vague or hard to find in your preferred podcast provider’s library. There are plenty of online name generating tools, which we have found to be a good starting point. (But it still takes brain power to find something catchy that works.)

After you have chosen the perfect name, be sure to include it in any relevant hashtags so people who are searching for podcasts related to your show may find yours.

Step Four: Record Your First Show

Now that you’ve chosen your format, topic, and title, it’s time to start recording. You’ll need to invest some energy in creating a setup that works well for you and produces high-quality audio.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

1. An Audio Interface: an interface is a device that connects your microphone to your computer. It has a dedicated headphone jack, which will let you monitor the audio while it’s being recorded. A USB interface makes the process even simpler by plugging directly into your laptop or desktop. At LISI, we’re big fans of the Shure MV5C, which was recommended to us by our friend Rob Kates at Kates Media.
2. Headphones: If you plan on monitoring your audio as you record, whether through headphones or speakers, invest in something comfortable and high quality – because if they hurt your ears or don’t let you hear all the nuances of speech, things won’t sound great when you get to the editing phase.
3. A Quiet Recording Space: One of the best investments you can make is in a quiet recording space. Any external noise will be picked up by your microphone and become part of your finished product.
4. A Recording Platform: We use Zencastr to record our podcast-only episodes of All The Things. Zencaster is like any cloud-based meeting platform you’re used to at this point, except it allows you to record each speaker on separate audio tracks, thereby perfecting the final product quality in a much cleaner, more professional way.

Step Five: Tell The World About Your Podcast!

In addition to high sound quality and interesting content, for a podcast to be successful, you will need to promote it well so people can find the show. This is where podcast hosting websites come into play. There are many places online where you can host your podcast (for free or via an inexpensive monthly fee) and promote it to millions of potential listeners all over the world.

Podcast hosts like Soundcloud provide tools for uploading, editing, scheduling, promoting, and sharing your audio file across social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. These sites are great for advertising your podcast to potential listeners, since all of these social media platforms have a huge user base.

Once subscribed, your podcast’s followers will be sent an episode every time a new one is published.

To share a podcast through social media or email, you can either embed episodes on your firm’s website, or share a link that will take listeners directly to the show’s page in Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you want to distribute it) where they may stream it or download it.

Bonus Tip: Improve Ranking with Search Engines

Make sure that your podcast is highly visible by optimizing it for specific keywords on platforms like iTunes and Spotify. Because these are two of the biggest platforms where users search for new podcasts to listen to, they are key in growing your audience.

Once you have some episodes live, make sure you are using popular search phrases within the title, description, and episode names whenever possible. It also helps if your cover art is eye-catching and you have a clear call-to-action that encourages listeners to subscribe immediately after clicking play.

Bonus Tip: Produce Content That Draws Listeners

One of the most important aspects of establishing yourself as an authority within your niche is producing top-notch content regularly. Of course, every audience member learns something different from each episode, but they should always leave feeling like they have gained insight.

The best way to attract subscribers is to produce content that resonates with your particular audience. Think about what your listeners want or need, and make sure you are delivering it in an engaging, relatable way. If this means interviewing industry leaders to get their advice on a topic, go for it! It could also mean incorporating humor into every episode so that listeners feel comfortable being themselves around you.

Whatever you do, find content and a personal style that resonates with your audience. And remember to always be authentic.

Podcasting is a great tool to have available in your marketing arsenal. Take the time to create high-quality content, promote it well, and you’ll see amazing results!