The bCast Blog

Entertainment is one of the largest prevailing industries in the world we live in. Having a bad day? Watch or listen to something. Having a good day? Watch or listen to something. You have something to watch or listen to for all your moods. 

Getting into the entertainment industry is a dream for many. Sometimes the art lacks, sometimes the artist and the consequences turn into a failure. There sure is no specific guide to success but there is a checklist you could consider following to accomplish your best.  If you're a good orator and seek to launch a podcast, this article could lead you to your holy grail.

What is a podcast?

Remember how television sitcoms and web series had episodes to them. A podcast is quite similar to an episode except for the fact that it can be referred to as an episode of the audio series. A podcast generally has a host or two and a guest (could be more than one). It could be a story narration or it could be a chat show. A podcast refers to episodes of an audio series, just like a television sitcom and web series have different episodes. Podcasts are getting quite popular these days, accounting for the different music applications that have included various podcasts in their playlists. 

How to make a good podcast?

Many people grind their heads to find an answer to this question. Well, there is no single formula to success, however, there are surely some tips to follow if you want to make a good podcast.

        1. Be punctual:

If you want the world to take you seriously, you will have to take your work seriously. Create a timetable for your podcast. If you have decided to release one every day, do it without fail. If you have promised a weekly podcast, follow it with all your zest. If you delay your podcast even by a day, it will reflect your insincerity towards your business.

Make sure your work communicates with your audience and reflects how sincere and respectful you are towards your work. Also, a punctual podcast will attract a punctual audience who would tune into your channel to listen to you. Be punctual with your podcasts and their release. If you have promised a weekly podcast, make sure you release one every week. If you have a podcast promised for each day, do it punctually. 

        2. Choosing the subject:

The subject forms the soul of a good podcast. Choose a subject that makes sense and is relevant to the audience. Also, there are several subjects that require graphics to be explained or portrayed before someone. Try not choosing such a subject or even the best oration won't be able to save you from the arms of failure. Choose a subject that is less graphic and can be explained efficiently with the usage of words. Horror stories can be a real challenge and yet are the most successful genres of podcasts. Choose subjects that aren't completely graphic and can be explained efficiently by using words. Also, when narrating stories, you have to be extra expressive with your voice, since your listeners cannot see your expressions. Make sure you have the right equipment for recording your voice. 

        3. The right equipment:

A recording studio is a must for optimum quality recording. Imagine listening to an audio that has cars honking in the background and people talking. It distracts the listener from the audio and holds them back from becoming a part of the story. 

To get yourself absorbed into a story or a situation, you need the sound to be real and clear enough. It should sound like you're actually listening to people talk around you, and not voice recorded in an antique device. Therefore, it is very necessary to invest in good quality equipment. 

        4. Promoting and creating awareness about the podcast:

As important it is to create a good product, it is equally important to promote it rightly. Making people aware of your product is an important factor. You can collaborate with different channels to advertise your podcast or you could even collaborate with other podcasts to promote yours. Build a website to promote your podcast on the internet and use hashtags when promoting it on social media handles like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

You can also consider building a website of your own. There are several platforms that not only help you to build a website but also provide several perks like free domain name, etc. 

        5. Variety:

The audience always likes variety. Listening to the same speaker over and over again can be a bit mundane. Instead, if you could bring two speakers to the podcast, it would create a variety and will be extra entertaining to the viewers.  

Try having at least two hosts for your podcasts. It will give your listeners some variety and increase their interest in the podcast. 

Variety is a big factor that can contribute to the success of a good podcast. Also, try different subjects for your podcast. It will be refreshing for the listeners and might attract new listeners to your podcast. Take suggestions from your colleagues or friends for feedback and how you can bring suitable changes to it. To add variety to your content, you can also bring personal stories there as well, why not talk about your favorite food, the type of gym equipment you use, or what are your favorite books right now. Your audience will like to listen to everyday activities that they can relate to as well. 

        6. Communicate with the listeners:

Communicating with your listeners is a great idea. Lend them your email address or your social media handles to communicate with you and share ideas. Ask them to share topics and subjects that they would like to discuss. You can even give some of the users shoutouts, for communicating actively with the anchors of the show. 

Use hashtags whenever you post about your podcasts so that it becomes easy for the listeners to catch up and reshare your posts on social media sites like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. come up with more creative ideas to connect with your listeners and give them a better experience with your show.

Promote your podcast amongst your friends and social circle via file transfer. Make sure that no one from your circle is left out. Also, ask them to share it with their friends. Communicate with your listeners and allow them to send you emails or simply text you on your social media handles. Reply to their texts as much as you can and give them shout outs for actively participating in your podcasts.  

        7. Have fun:

No matter what you do, what subject you discuss, you should enjoy what you do. The drill is to enjoy every moment you share with your listeners. This energy is infectious and transfers greatly. The more you enjoy talking about a subject, the more your listeners will be interested in listening to you and your podcast.

Even when you're discussing a serious topic, surprise your listeners, and come up with facts to get them interested in what you speak. Be knowledgeable and have some credibility to your data. It will make the trust quotient go up and the listener base of your podcast will surge exponentially.

        8. Get guests:

The same two hosts talking about different things can bore the audience. However, if you try to rope in some guests to your show, asking them for a cameo, the audience would be more interested in listening to it. If you're talking about a subject, invite a professional to the show. If it is related to medicine, you might invite a doctor. Similarly, if it is related to the administration of the town or the country, you might rope in a civil servant. You can even invite international guests in order to enrich the content of your podcast. You can later take the recording of that certain episode and with the help of remote interpreting platforms, translate it for your audience.

        9. Hold debates:

You could rope in two guests or celebrities at the same time and let them discuss the issues that are the subject of your podcast. It would help you in presenting the subject with more clarity. If it is a political matter, you could invite two politicians from two different political parties and let them present their views on the subject. Bringing in guests to debate on your podcast would increase its listeners at an exponential rate. Try surprising them with useful information and add credibility to your data. Rope in guests who are professionals and have specialized on a subject. Letting them share their views would add more credibility to your data. No matter how careful you are there might be times when these debates get heated and online negative backlash will follow. A possible solution here would be to make use of reputation management that will make sure you still look good in front of your audience. 

        10. Public polls:

Organize polls for the public or your audience to participate in. Let there be a question that can be answered in yes and no or is optional. Ask your audience to call on your number or go to your website and get their response recorded. Once they're done, you can calculate the votes and announce the results of the polls you conducted. This would increase the participation of your audience in your podcast and if you conduct regular podcasts, you could get more and more people to connect with you. 

Conclusion

It is extremely hard to derive a formula that would direct into an ensure success but is not as hard to come up with some tips that could make the process easier than before. To make your podcast a good podcast, you need to follow some important tips, such as those given above. Whatever you do and whatever you speak about, you should have fun with it. If you enjoy your podcast and you speak about something close to your heart then your listener will also learn to love it.