5 Quick Wins For Starting a Podcast
Five quick things you can do while starting a podcast that will help you succeed faster!
#1
Figure out your why for starting a podcast.
Why do you want to start a podcast? Here are some common wrong reasons to start a podcast: To make money. To grow an audience. To Get famous/become an influencer. If I just mentioned your main reason for wanting to podcast, let me save you some time; it’s almost impossible to achieve any of the above things in podcasting. Your why has to be connected to intimately impacting the lives of the few listeners that you have, and it has to be an enjoyment for you. Sit down and think about your why before you get started!
#2
Define your ideal listener/avatar.
Define your ideal listener/avatar. Based on your why, you should have determined exactly the type of person you’re going to be able to add value to and serve the most. You want to create an avatar. I recommend naming this fictitious ideal listener and even giving them a powerful back-story and details about what they do and when they listen. The most specific you can get, the better. Write this avatar’s name on everything you do because it should tie directly to your why. That way, before you record or release anything, you can ask, “Does this content serve X?” If yes, do it; if no, don’t!
#3
Map out the next 12 months of content and commit to making it happen.
Almost no one releases more than one podcast episode. If you do make it to one episode, it’s almost a 100% failure rate at 7 episodes, then again at 25 episodes; then, if you do make it that far, you still have a 90% chance of stopping before reaching one year. The best thing you can do is look at your avatar that’s connected to your why, and come up with a plan to succeed and to help them. What do you want your avatar to have learned, or how do you want them to have grown because they listened to you for the last 12 months? Plan out some pillar content, and think of topics, guests, and other things you want to have happen on your show during that time. Commit to releasing 52 episodes!
#4
Make your podcast title and description something that helps people understand exactly what your show is about.
Create your show title, description, and cover art, all 3 should be in-sync and attract your avatar, which goes back to your why The best title is a descriptive title. You want it to attract people to what you’re going to deliver in the content. Your description should further your descriptive title, and confirm the promise, so a potential listener says “yep, I want to listen to this!” And lastly, invest in good cover art. It’s your show’s first impression. Pay someone to make cover art that stands out!
#5
Come up with a launch strategy before you launch.
I’m all about starting ugly (which just means get started before you’re ready) but, having a plan before you start is key to a successful launch. Here are a few things you want to do: Have a launch team. A group of people who are committed to sharing it, and to leaving you a 5-star rating and review on Apple. How are you going to share about the show starting on social media? How will you email everyone about it? It’s a delicate dance, but you don’t want to share about the show until there is actually something to listen to. It needs to be launched first, that way you can build some hype about it. Do this right, and your show will receive an organic boost of listenership!
Want 5 More Quick Wins?
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