We know that podcasting is an exciting area for you to move you and your business into. It's all so new, and there's so many wonderful things to discover and get involved in.
So much potential - but where to start?
That's why we've answered all of your questions here.
Want to know more? Book a call with us and we can help you take your podcast idea from the page through to a successful, professional-sounding podcast that will show off you and your business in the best light. Stop procrastinating and start podcasting!
GENERAL PODCAST QUESTIONS
Well, our boss started his first podcast because he was about to get a new dog and wanted to share the journey with some listeners. It is a journal podcast, so it was just him talking about the new dog, what he was going to call it, how it was behaving etc - but the ‘Why?’ Is going to be different for everyone.
For some people, they want to start podcasting because they don’t think that the subject they're passionate about is being covered enough, or correctly, by the current range of podcasts.
For others, they will have heard other podcasts and podcasters and just wanted to be part of the industry.
When you’re looking at your own ‘Why?’, though, you just need to make sure that it is rooted in a love to share something. People listen to podcasts for one reason and one reason only - to make their lives a little better in some way.
Podcasting is important because it gives a voice to almost anyone on the planet who has access to a recording machine.
As we’ve said before, podcasting - an audial medium - is the refuge of the shy. It is where the people who don’t want to be in front of cameras come from; but it’s also where the über famous can create another audience.
Also, we think that podcasting is the future of broadcasting.
It is content on-demand. You listen to it when, where and for how long you like - and pretty much every topic is covered.
Like knitting? There’s a podcast for that. Are you a sculptor? There’s a podcast for that too. The best part? It’s free. Apart from some very specific examples, you don’t need to pay anything to listen to a podcast.
Podcasting can be used in so many situations.
At one end, it can be used to show your passion for a subject - say, horror films for instance - or it can be used as an extension to a company’s digital marketing strategy; to reaffirm their expertise in a particular field.
Some people use podcasts to supplement education, whilst more and more organisations use podcasting as an effective internal communications tool sharing information with the workforce through the means of a private link that can be listened to anywhere
It can be, but as of writing this towards the end of 2020, not everyone can do it.
Like most careers that seem to just ‘spring up’ seemingly from nowhere, there is a lot of work that needs to go into what you do - and you shouldn’t start a podcast to become a popular podcaster. It should always start from a position of passion; the love of the medium or the subject.
If you have that, combined with great content, spot-on marketing, unwavering consistency - and a bit of luck thrown in, then you just might be able to make a career out of being a podcaster. Just don’t quit the office job yet.
Podcasting has many uses.
At it’s very heart it’s used by hundreds of thousands of people to share ideas, entertain and inform an audience.
Also, some businesses use podcasting as part of their digital marketing strategy, to reaffirm their expertise in their chosen industry.
Larger organisations are turning more and more to podcasting for their internal communications, as well as for staff training.
Even schools, colleges and universities are using podcasts for students that are unable to attend lessons.
That depends.
If you’re a well-known celebrity then your listening figures will be substantial.
Similarly, if you are a well-established podcast, it’s likely that your listening figures will be high.
However, if you’ve only done a couple of episodes, and you’ve only told your own social network about them - it’s not going to be as high.
The download figures for an average podcast episode is somewhere between 150 and 250 downloads.
There are many ways to promote your podcast:
- Get on social media, start accounts for your podcast and get posting
- Become a guest on another podcast (on the provision that you can plug your podcast too!),
- Advertising on Facebook or Instagram.
However you do it, just remember this - whenever you talk about your podcast, make sure that you post a link too. Don’t make people work to listen to your podcast!
We've written an article about marketing your podcast. You can read it here
Yes, you can.
You can’t copyright the idea - but you can copyright the content of it.
As long as the material is original and not copied from anyone else, you can copyright it. Go to https://www.protectmywork.com/ to look at obtaining a copyright for your podcast
You can make a decent-sounding podcast for as little as $200 (about £150).
Then, you might have a small amount to pay every month to your hosting site - but that’s it.
There are some great tips for podcasting on a budget in our FREE Podcasting Essentials Checklist
There are a number of professions that work best with podcasting.
Professional services - lawyer, accountant or HR consultant - are perfect subjects for Business Podcasting.
These roles have a qualified knowledge of a subject that people are, at one time or another, interested in.
Coaches are also perfect roles for podcasting, whether they are business, life or wellness.
Again, they have a knowledge that people are after.
Even better if it’s delivered in an engaging, informative way by someone who the listener might want to do business with further down the line.
MONETISING YOUR PODCAST
It can, but it takes time. For many podcasters, money is a foreign concept.
For some, they make some money from sponsorship, or through sites like Patreon - but they almost always have to back up their earnings from these sources with a second job.
There are various ways that a podcast can make money.
On the smaller end of the scale, it can be done with local sponsorships. Of course, if you have an audience of thousands on a regular basis you can obtain national and international sponsors through your hosting site. You will received some of the money made through sponsorships.
Another way is to begin a subscription model with your podcast.
This can be done through sites like Patreon where you offer extra material and benefits, in return for a regular donation from your listeners.
The only thing to bear in mind here is that your basic podcast should still be free. That’s the beauty of great podcasting.
Of course, you can also ask for donations. Have it as part of your episode, explain why you want the money and what it will be spent on (some podcasts will explain that it’s for production costs, travel costs etc) and then it’s up to the audience if they want to donate.
If you’re a huge podcaster, of course, you’ll make money when a large podcasting platform - say Apple or Spotify - pay you to make a podcast just for them. As you can imagine, though, that’s a pretty rare occurrence.
TECHNICAL PODCAST QUESTIONS
There’s lots of places where you can buy good podcasting equipment.
Amazon, Gear4Music & eBay are just three places that do a wide range of microphones, headphones, field recorders, mixers, microphone stands.
First of all, a podcast is something that only exists as a piece of audio.
As soon as you add pictures, or video, then it becomes a vodcast.
You can record your podcast via zoom, or any similar online communication platform.
You just need to make sure that all participants are using a quality, external microphone (so, not the one that is built into your computer!) and that someone is recording the call.
In the current conditions (2020!) listeners understand that many people can't be in the same room as each other, and they are willing to accept a slight drop in audio quality when it comes to their favourite podcast episodes.
It is! In fact, there is an app - Anchor - that allows you to upload your podcast from your phone.
However, we recommend that you buy an external microphone for your phone.
Otherwise, the quality of your podcast can suffer - and who wants to listen to bad quality audio when there are so many well-recorded podcasts out there?
The other thing to bear in mind with apps like Anchor is something called Dynamic Ad Insertion. Basically, there will be ads put into your podcast episode - and you'll have no say about who the advertisers are.
Obviously, if you're doing a podcast about your favourite movies, this won't matter that much, but if you're a business with a podcast then it could matter a great deal.
Podcasting and YouTube go together so well.
Again, though, a podcast is just the audio.
We've written an article about podcasting and YouTube. Read it here
Wow. There are literally hundreds of platforms that can help you with your podcast.
There are sites for hosting, sites for publishing, directories, social networking sites for podcasting….
The ones that you need to be concerned with initially is a hosting site and a publishing site.
A hosting site is where your podcast will live, it’s where the audio is held; the publishing site is where people can find your podcast.
There are some sites, like Acast, who are both of these things, but you will probably be more familiar with podcast publishers like Apple, Spotify and Google.
First of all, we just want to say this; your microphone is going to be the biggest - but the best - investment you’ll make for your podcast.
As for choosing the right one, you need to think about a couple of things.
First of all, how are you going to record your podcast?
Will you be inside or outside? Is your podcast going to be solo, you and a co-host or you and a guest?
You’ll need to make sure that every person on your podcast episode has a separate microphone, and you’ll need to make sure that, if you’re mainly recording outside, that you have a windsock for your microphone.
Really, you just need 3 things - a microphone, headphones and an editing program
We’ve written an article about the things you need to start your podcast. You can find it here
There isn’t a standard level of computing that you need.
Just make sure that your computer or laptop is relatively modern, and that you have an up-to-date sound card that is working on there too.
Remember that you need to have the right connections on your computer. So, make sure that you have at least USB port for your microphone - and a headphone slot too.
The standard of audio quality differs from podcast to podcast.
Some of the bigger podcast spends hundreds of pounds on the best microphones, sound-proofing and studio time.
Don’t worry if you don’t have that kind of money, then your podcast can still sound great though!
As for podcast publishers, it’s generally agreed that the bitrate of your podcast should be about 96kbps.
Because it’s mainly speech, you can lower the quality *a little* because the human ear won’t notice the difference.
LEARNING ABOUT AND TRAINING IN PODCASTING
You need 3 things to get started in podcast; a microphone (or microphones if you’re going to have a co-host or guests), a pair of headphones, and a program to record and edit your audio on.
Once you have these basics, everything else is easy.
We have a 12 lesson course in podcasting, which you can find out more about here
Absolutely!
We love speaking to people at the very beginning of their podcasting journey, helping them to see the potential of their idea.
That's why we created our FREE Podcasting Essentials Checklist. You can get it here
Oh yes!
We have created a series of packages that can help you and your company get started in podcasting.
Step 1 - Check out the packages that we have on offer
Step 2 - Book a call, so we can get talking - and get you podcasting!
Oh yes!
We have created a series of packages that can help you and your coaching business get started in podcasting.
Step 1 - Check out the packages that we have on offer
Step 2 - Book a call, so we can get talking - and get you podcasting!
Yes, we can.
With our combined 30 years of experience in the UK radio industry, working at a local, regional and national level, we can help you, or your organisation, discover podcasting in a whole new way - whilst gaining the confidence to make your own podcast.
You can book a Podcast Power Hour here to find out just how we can help you.
Podcast In A Box is a product that we have created to give you the best start on your podcasting journey.
It includes a USB microphone, headphones, soundproofing panels - and access to our expertise. We schedule an initial call to talk through your podcast idea, looking at format, frequency, music and images. We then talk you through your first episode, making sure that you have the confidence to get started in the right way.
On top of that, we will edit and produce your first THREE episodes, so that you can feel comfortable with the whole process, and just concentrate on creating great content for your listeners.
For more details, get in touch and let's start talking
Yes you can!
We have one here, which is a 12-lesson online course that takes you through podcasting from the format and the planning, right through to what equipment to buy, the recording and editing and even on to hosting, marketing and potential monetisation.
There are plenty of resources in our News section, which will help you become a better present.
Start here and see where you go.
You can also book in for a Podcast Power Hour where we will give some tips about being the best podcast presenter that you can be.
Yes, there is!
We do a 12-lesson online course that takes you through podcasting from the format and the planning, right through to what equipment to buy, the recording and editing and even on to hosting, marketing and potential monetisation.
We thought that you would never ask! How about our FREE Podcasting Essentials Checklist? You're welcome!
Couldn't find the answer your need, check out Pete during his Lunchtime LinkedIn Live session every other Monday at 1pm GMT. Connect here