In this episode, I will be sharing 10 such podcasting tips that you wouldn’t commonly find online.
Trying to make sense of what actually works in podcasting. Then this episode is for you.
There are a lot of cliche podcasting tips that you will find online, on youtube, on blogs, on social media platforms, etc. But the fact of the matter is that cliche isn’t something that really works. What works are practical tips that are proven to work and in this episode, we are going to cover such podcasting tips.
Everything follows a process.
Any new hobby that you want to take up, new art that you are planning to learn, or, a new hustle that you are planning to take up, every one of those things follows a process.
A process that can be documented using a flow chart diagram with a few boxes and arrows and some yes/no questions.
For eg: to learn how to write, you need to take a paper either ruled or, white, and then take a pen, open it, fill ink, then close it. Then hold the pen between your fingers, position the base of your palm on the paper, and so on.
While that is how you can write, some of the finer aspects of how to write well and in a legible way is something that won’t be clearly visible on that flow chart or, flow-diagram.
Because that is hidden in those arrows that connect those big boxes!
- Things like holding the pen the right way.
- Things like using curves and angles when writing alphabets.
- Things like using an imaginary line to keep your alphabets aligned etc.
Similarly in Podcasting too, you will find a lot of such flow charts and flow diagrams that will show you the usual process. But to know the finer details of how to create a good podcast, you need to know what’s on those arrows that connect the bigger boxes.
And in this episode, I will share with you 10 such podcasting tips that you wouldn’t commonly find online.
Practical yet uncommon Podcasting Tips that you won’t find online
While podcasting has a very straightforward process flow, there are some unspoken tips, that are essential ingredients in running a successful podcast.
If you are ready, let’s get started.
Podcasting isn’t about making your voice heard.
It is about molding your voice to make it ideal for the person who needs to hear it.
Music has so many different genres – Rock, Heavy metal, Country music, Jazz, Classical music, etc.
Every one of those singers who create music in a specific genre is targeting a specific audience and not all the music lovers because a fan of country music might necessarily not like heavy metal.
Similarly in your niche, there could be different people with different interests or, different choices. While you create a show for a specific niche, create episodes that target that specific segment.
Remember, every one of your listeners will not listen to every one of your episodes. They will pick the one that they want to listen to and listen to only those.
Instead of letting them decide, dictate the choice to them by creating episodes that stare at them on their face and tell them to pick that one.
Podcasting isn’t the source, it is the medium
This podcasting tip will do you a world of good if you understand it right.
One of the most common approaches in podcasting is to start a podcast and then put in everything to make it a source of income.
But the fact is that your podcast isn’t a source of income. It can only be a medium for a source of income.
What is the source of income is something you need to figure out if you are really looking at making money with podcasting – Speaking gigs, digital courses, affiliate marketing, associated services, etc. are all sources of income that can use podcasting as a medium.
While you might argue that there are podcasts that are indeed a source of income which is true, the fact is also that it isn’t a common sight. And common is what will work for everyone.
A podcast is more than just the audio.
We put a lot of focus on the audio, which I agree is a very important part of a podcast, but the fact is that there is a lot that goes into podcasting much before a listener can listen to your audio.
The packaging is extremely important. In fact, much more important than the audio itself. In fact, the package is what will bring in your audience and your audio is what will help retain them.
So, while you focus on the audio, also spend an equal amount of time refining and beautifying the package so that it is attractive enough to pull in your audience.
Statistics are what they are – Mere Numbers.
Don’t break your head over statistics.
All you need to focus on is on ensuring that the curve goes up and not down.
You spend hours refreshing your insights dashboard to see if you have any new listens or, downloads. And when you don’t see that, you feel demotivated.
But the fact is that that download or, listen is just a number, which standalone won’t do any good to your show.
Remember growing from 1 listen to 2 listens is a 200% jump. Which way you want to look at that number depends upon your convenience.
If you want to feel demotivated, look at it as just 1 incremental listen. But if you want to stay motivated, look at it as a 200% improvement.
Starting is easy but continuing is difficult.
This is one of the most important podcasting tips you will ever hear.
Podcasting is a long-term plan. It isn’t an overnight venture that will bring you riches overnight. You have to stay in the game for the long term and that means you need to be consistent with what you are doing and stay persistent there.
Starting a podcast is as easy as picking your smartphone, recording audio, doing some basic editing, and putting it out there.
But the difficult part is in continuing to do it every week, week-after-week, month after month, year after year. Consistency can be very difficult.
And that needs discipline and a mindset that can only come if you practice and practice and torture yourself to do it.
Reviews are difficult to Get
We all love reviews and reviews can be that motivational tonic to keep you going with what you are doing. But, let us face the truth, they are not easy to get.
You cannot just expect a listener who has already spent 20 minutes of his precious time listening to your monologue to then spend another 5 minutes of his time going to an app that he might not even be using, to review and rate your show.
We all ask our audience to review and rate the show on Apple podcast as a call to action, which is a total waste of time.
Nobody will write a review for your show like that unless they are your friends or, relatives who too might do it only after some pressure tactics.
So, find newer strategies to get people to review your show. Giveaways, prizes, etc can work. But you need to try what works and then use that strategy.
The policy of “Build it and people will come” is old and doesn’t work anymore.
There used to be a time when you could create something and it would show up on Google, which in turn will bring in a swarm of traffic and… cha-ching.. you make money.
That’s the 90’s and 2000 for you!
It doesn’t work like that anymore.
Today, you need to create a product/service, slog it out to show it to everybody and anybody, and then push them to try it, sometimes even for free.. in the hope that they will buy it.
Then from there on, if it meets requirements and is of top quality, it will sell itself.
Same with podcasting.
You cannot hope to get a million downloads just by putting a few episodes out there. Yes, maybe your friends, your brothers, sisters, mom, and dad might listen to it.
But that too I am not really sure if they will do it in your first request but they might do it after pushing them to do it.
You need to slog it out to promote your show to the world and bring in your initial listeners.
Then from thereon, produce top-quality content, continue the promotion and continue the cycle.
Social Media isn’t the best way to promote a podcast.
This podcasting tip is going to break a few hearts. I might even get a few bricks thrown at me. But I like calling a spade a spade and that is what I will do.
Social media isn’t the best way of promoting a podcast. It is just one way of doing that and it lies at the bottom of the table in terms of effectiveness.
But does that mean you can do away with it?
No!
Because social media is what will help you ensure that you are able to retain your listeners and engage with them.
But if you are looking at promoting your show, then you need to look for other channels like collaborations, guest talks, and promos.
Put together a strategy that comprises these channels and schedule time for every one of these activities.
Statistics isn’t for hobby podcasters
Now, this is another one of these controversial podcasting tips.
There are 2 types of podcasters who start off with a show. The first one is the hobby-type podcaster who has a hobby or, a talent that he wants to show off – like a poet, a storyteller, a singer, etc.
And the second one is the regular aspirational podcaster who wants to make it big in podcasting and make money with it.
Now, the first category is people who are introverts like me, who want to showcase their creativity to the world but are hesitant to show up on a video and do that.
So they chose a platform where they do not have to show their face, record it as an audio, and put it out there.
If you are such a podcaster, who isn’t the strategizing kind, who doesn’t like being tied to something, and who doesn’t want to allocate a time slot on their calendars to something like podcasting, then don’t look at statistics.
And forget about all of the other things that I normally speak about podcasting.
Because your goal is not to get a million downloads. It is only to put your talent out there and make a few people listen to it.
So ignore the statistics.
Focus on putting your content out there even if you are not consistent and send out the link for the episodes to your circles.
Seasons isn’t something for all types of podcasts
I see a lot of people advocating the use of seasons to help with breaks and disruptions.
But is that a good strategy?
It is, but it isn’t a good one for regular podcasts.
Let me explain.
Seasons are good for story-telling podcasts which have continuity to the episodes. No episode is a complete story and leaves you with a cliffhanger, yet it is complete from the perspective of that episode.
Similarly, every season ends with a cliffhanger, yet it completes a part of the story. It hence makes sense to release the next set of episodes in the next season. It builds anticipation and keeps the audience hooked.
Why?
Because you have an audience waiting to know what happens next.
But can this be applied to an inspirational podcast or, a podcast that is about knowledge sharing?
Not really!
There is nothing that will make the listener come back and tune in to the show in the next season which is scheduled to come out in a couple of months’ time unless you are a celebrity by the end of your first season and you have a fan-base who can spend hours in front of your house just to get a glimpse of you.
There will never be continuity in that kind of podcast.
While seasons can be a good excuse to take a break or, for inconsistency, it isn’t the best strategy if you are looking to build a brand for yourself, especially with these kinds of podcasts.
Over to You
With these podcasting tips, I know I might be breaking some stereotypes and some common beliefs. But this is the truth.
Most people who share posts and videos online with podcasting tips believe in only sharing the positive side of podcasting. They prefer not to scare away prospective podcasters, by talking about these things that I just spoke about.
But I believe that it is better that you understand these at the beginning of your journey so that your journey is smooth.
Resources I recommend
I am not a fan of a lot of pieces of equipment and resources to get started with podcasting. I recommend using the bare minimum.
But in case you are looking for some of the recommended resources, then here are my favorite ones.
Thank you for joining me
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
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