Things you need to know before starting a podcast – (Podcast Myths)

 

If you have landed on this blog post then you might want to start a podcast or might have an idea of starting one

But stuck in?

I made a comprehensively separate blog on it 

How to Start a podcast For free

When I started my podcast I didn’t even have a niche or any vision of starting it 

But when I slowly get into the podcast world I started realizing the actual worth of it and started taking podcasts on a serious note

Before my podcast niche used to be ‘ Hari Documentary ‘, in this podcast series I just shared my thoughts and feelings.

Honestly, my aim is to just improve my English communication skills (English is not my first language), so the number of the audience doesn’t bother me

In the Documentary series I had Zero plays on my podcast and after taking the podcast seriously 

• I decided niche 

• Started have a proper intro 

• Consistency 

• Many more 

After doing it for about one year I have a good engagement now in it and also have more than basic knowledge in it, which I will share in this blog post 

These are some of the things you need to know before starting a podcast 

It’s not about fancy equipment 

Good quality mic, software, and more other tools are not necessary to start a podcast.

The people who want to start a podcast but don’t have any types of equipment also can start their podcast by just using their mobile device

Nowadays there are many applications that can help you to make and edit your podcast as quick as possible 

The podcast is just a simple concept but most people are making it too complicated.

Podcast simply means recording audio and uploading, is that simple..

But to make it engaging and valuable you need to invest your time in adding some value to your content, not for your equipment

I have been podcasting for last year still do it on my mobile device and I don’t even have any mic or paid software setup 

I truly invest my time in adding value to my audio content and simply ignore fancy and expensive stuff

At the initial stage, you can adjust and do what it takes to get started, and afterward, if you want you can invest in other basic things 

Until then just get started

Because podcasts have a high organic reach with less competitiveness in the industry 

Add a bit more.

You might be confused by the heading, right???

Add a bit more, means you need to add some value more than your competitors or another podcaster in your niche 

As the podcast is not so common or not many people make podcasts, so the competition in it is very low

This makes a wide opportunity for you to expand yourself. 

As I mentioned in the earlier point, fancy equipment doesn’t matter in front of your valuable content.

Now you might ask what valuable content means??

Every content is valuable, I agree but not every content I valuable from each other 

I’ll explain, if you are speaking the same thing in your podcast which others already told then your podcast is valuable but not unique, so people will not consume it

If other podcasts cover points X and Y, then you need to cover points X, Y, and Z which will make your podcast unique and helpful to others.

If you are into some personal advice niche, then make sure you make your content-related and try not to add any fancy stuff in it which people can’t relate with.

The more you make relatable content, the more you get engagement 

Don’t chase money

As a podcaster, especially as a beginner it is totally wrong to chase money.

If you are doing a podcast to make money then I highly suggest that podcast is not for you.

Honestly, when I started blogging, I started it to make money faster but eventually after getting into it, I realized that it is not the overnight cup of tea, it requires a lot of hard work with consistency and much more.

I decided to drop the plan of blogging but till the three months which I have spent on it, I started liking the process of blogging and marketing online.

So, I am here as blogging which I am grateful about 

I am making this blog to make you aware of the things you need to know before starting a podcast for the first time.

Niche is very important

Choosing the right Niche is one of the best things you need to know before starting your podcast. 

You can start your podcast without choosing a niche, but you will not be able to sustain yourself in the market. You should have a focused Niche. 

When I talk about my podcast, I didn’t even have any niche. Then I’m getting no play on my podcast. 

But after realizing this truth, I started having a niche and now I’m getting a good amount of plays on my podcast episodes. 

Imagine that you are putting any random content than on which base people will follow you. That’s nothing special about you or nothing that provides them value. 

For example, if you’re putting content on podcasts related to sports. 

And suddenly you started podcasting on any news topic. Then people will not get any base value on which they can follow you. 

So it’s better to have a niche and work on it so that you’ll be able to grow your audience in a particular niche. 

So that you can have a specific targeted audience on which you need to work on and can build your strong base on it. 

And ultimately after growing a strong audience, you can sell your products, sell your services. You can do whatever you want to make some Penny from it.

Pre-record your intro

One, big piece of advice that I can give you after spending one whole year on podcasting. 

That it’s always preferable to pre-record the intro of your podcast. 

In my starting couple of podcast episodes. I used to speak the intro again and again and sometimes I used to record and retake again and again for that intro, which consumes a lot of time. But after I started recording, 

So to save my time, I record my intro once and then choose to repeat the intro for every series of my podcast which ultimately saves my time and effort, and energy

Pro-tip – 

While making an intro, you should include all the things that the audience will get from your podcast if they follow your podcast. 

Rather than adding any fancy music and instrumental sound on your intro, make it more valuable than what people can get from your podcast. If you tell them in your intro, then it will be beneficial for you. And as well as from them, that will help them to decide whether to follow you or not. 

And have some hooky things in your intro, which will help you to grow your audience.

Plan your content ahead

After spending a year on a podcast. I realized that nothing works at the last minute. 

So, if you are podcasting and uploading right now. Then this will be a critical situation because If you want to record and edit and publish the podcast right on the day. Then it will be more likely to procrastinate because it’s a human tendency. 

So, it’s always preferable to schedule or Prepare your podcast right before the day you want to publish it. 

So if I want to publish the podcast tomorrow, then I’ll record and edit and keep the podcast schedule today so that it will not get delayed. 

And I’ll stay consistent on my podcast. 

Because whether it could be in the field of blogging, podcasting, and social media, posting last-minute, post creation will never work and it always ends up getting procrastinated or delayed which leads us to be inconsistent and disciplined in our work. 

So now I start dead rescheduling my 

And take a separate time to brainstorm your ideas for your podcast content, like for a week for a month, or maybe for two weeks.

Take a separate time for brainstorming, your content ideas for your podcast, and schedule it a day, wise or week-wise, whatever you prefer. 

So that you will stay consistent and clear in your mind what topic you want to make a podcast about.

Use 40 – 60 Rule

Digital marketing is all about marketing your product or services online. 

I’ll explain why I said this. 

As podcasts come under digital marketing. So we need to be clear about it. What do you want to do with our podcast? 

Most of the people just record and upload podcasts, but they don’t focus on marketing their podcasts which end up leading to less play on their episodes. 

So, I don’t want you guys to be demotivated.

So I follow the 40/60 rule. 

What’s that rule? 

The 40/60 rule means you need to focus 40% on your content creation, and the rest of 60% on marketing that content. 

What most people make mistakes? They focus on content creation more as compared to marketing. 

Because if you do not Market your content, then people will know about it. There’s no chance. 

So you need to focus more on marketing. Your content is other than creating.

You can grow your podcast without guests as well

The biggest myth, most of the people spread around about podcasts is, that you can grow your podcast faster by inviting guests on your podcast. 

But what I find after using or creating content on podcasts is that you can also grow your podcast without inviting a single guest on your podcast series. 

Most people hyping the thing of guest podcasting, but I personally believe you can also grow your podcast without any guests. Just, you need to provide valuable information to the people. 

For me, creativity is the only thing that helps you to grow. So try some creative stuff with your podcast, whether it could be unique in your intro, in your outdoor, or maybe a unique piece of content or creative piece of content. These are the only things that will help you to ultimately grow your podcast in the future.

Choosing the best hosting is important

Choosing the best podcast Distribution platform is very important when it comes to Growing your podcast, seriously. I have seen many of the people who try to grow their podcasts and really put much effort into it by creating valuable content, but one big mistake I have found in them is choosing the wrong platform for the podcast.

Before choosing any platform, you need to analyze and know about the platform very well. What? All the features of that platform and then you need to be on it. 

Directly getting into the wrong platform will negatively affect your hard work and efforts. So it’s better to analyze and go through each and every platform and find the best one for you and then make a podcast on it. 

The platform which helps you to distribute your podcast episodes on almost every other audio platform is the best platform for you.

Don’t make it too complicated

One thing I want to make clear is that do not make podcasts a complicated topic. It’s just a simple concept where you just have to provide value through your audio and people will grow as an audience, if you truly be valuable to them.

These are some of the things which you need to know before starting your podcast. 

And I hope I made you clear about it. If you have any queries, you can write them down in the comment. I will catch you there.