What You Should Consider Before Starting a Podcast
Listen on the podcast:
We are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the trends and one we see coming is the wave of Podcasts. Yes, podcasting has been around for a while but typically it has been used for entertainment or educational purposes. Using a podcast to help promote your business is juuuust starting to catch on.
This is why we are stepping in and helping some of our biggest brands build their own podcast.
Who is Podcasting for?
We have packages that range from new bookkeepers to experienced entrepreneurs ready to build a brand. We only recommend setting up a podcast for those who are looking to build a brand and big company. Podcasting can take a lot of time and resources, so it is important to know this is not like starting another social media profile.
Why Podcasting?
Maybe you are wondering why as a marketing agency, we are suggesting podcasting. There are a few reasons for this...
Social Media
Social media is probably one of the most popular ways to promote your business, but it has one BIG issue - it is sooo convoluted. Everyone has a business account, trying to tell sell you something, and it can be overwhelming.
Now we are not saying it doesn’t work - it certainly can still be effective! But it is not like it was when Instagram first introduced the “story” button. It is hard to become noticed.
The Rise of Video & Audio
Video and audio content are becoming more and more popular on the internet. This is for many reasons but one is that when you see a video and watch it for a couple of seconds, that post gets boosted in the algorithm. You spent time looking at it! Versus, a social media post where you likely looked quickly and moved on.
This has inherently given video and audio content an advantage online.
Audio content is also becoming more popular with devices like Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google now rolling out voice command features.
What does this all mean - you need to have a voice on the internet, literally. Having audio content is going to be a must, just like social media. What better way to do it than with a podcast?
What Podcasting Does
Ok, so why not just create youtube videos or Instagram stories? Podcasting is unique in how people digest it. When you are on your phone or computer, you are probably at work or bored and looking to be entertained. Compare that to the times you are listening to a podcast.
When you listen to a podcast you are hearing someone’s voice when you are in the car driving, getting ready in the morning, or cooking a meal for your family. You are more relaxed and hearing someone’s voice is more personable than reading their text.
This is why podcasting is quickly becoming seen as an excellent way to build trust with your audience.
What You Should Consider Before Starting A Podcast
There are 5 main things you should consider before starting a podcast. We will go into each, in depth, below:
Consistency
Appealing Content
Equipment
Hosting
Marketing
Consistency
If you were to start a podcast, post 1 or 2 episodes, and then forget it you will not reap the full benefits. In order for there to be an ROI on your podcast, you need to make sure you are consistently posting.
While we recommend once a week, if you were to post biweekly you could still have a return - it just may take a bit longer.
Appealing Content
Make sure you are talking about subjects that your target audience finds interesting - not just you. There may be a lot of info about reconciling accounts, tax return deadlines, or new deductions that you find important, but will your target audience?
This is why we encourage all of our clients to not just talk about accounting or bookkeeping. You can be personable, talk about processes, touch on HR, tools and tricks you have used to help build your business. What do they want to spend time listening to?
If they are not an accountant, they probably don’t want to spend 20 minutes learning about tax tips.
Equipment
It is important to have good equipment when recording your podcast. If the audio is fuzzy, cuts out, or you can’t even understand the speaker, then what is the point?
Good equipment will be a bit of an investment but you will find it is worth it. It will show your quality work and people will associate that with your business.
The pieces of equipment we use include:
Recording Software
If you are just recording yourself you can use apps like Garageband for Mac (free) or Soundtrap for Windows.
If you are interviewing people then we recommend Streamyard (free).
Editing Software
For Mac, you can simply use iMovie to edit your audio software. This comes in handy if you would like to also post the content to YouTube. You can quickly add a cover image and the export audio or export audio and video.
For Windows, Audacity and Adobe Audition are both great options. We recommend checking out the free trial. If you have never used audio or video editing software before, there can be a bit of a learning curve.
Hosting
A podcast is not like social media where you post your audio clip to each individual podcast network. Rather, you register with all the various networks (Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, I Heart Radio, etc.). Then you have a central hub where you post your audio. That central hub then sends out new audio to these platforms whenever you post content.
First, we recommend finding a host to post your podcast. We put all of our clients on Squarespace, which makes it easy because they are also a podcast hosting platform.
Once you have found a place to host your podcast, go on and register with all of the podcast platforms. Here is a great article where they list every platform and how you can post your podcast.
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Marketing
Lastly, the podcast does not do the marketing for you. You still need to promote your content. Post it on your website, Facebook group, social media, and in email campaigns. Talk about it when you are networking and try to find opportunities to share relevant episodes.
You will always be promoting your podcast and once you build up some momentum, there will be organic reach. It just does take time.
Deciding to start a podcast is unlike starting a social media account. It requires a lot more time and energy which is always helpful to know going into a project. We recommend considering each of these points before you start buying mic’s just yet.
