How to build a profitable podcast.
In podcasting, brands and influencers find an unprecedented avenue to connect with their audience swiftly.
Imagine your daily commute transforming from a mundane routine into an enlightening experience. Your earbuds serve as portals to captivating conversations, intriguing stories, and insightful discussions. Yes, you've stepped into the world of podcasts, a dynamic and ever-growing medium that has seamlessly woven itself into our lives. With hosts ranging from influencers to business moguls, podcasts have bridged the gap between creators and audiences, bringing them closer like never before.
But here's the twist: while podcasting has undoubtedly revolutionized content consumption, engaging an audience consistently remains a puzzle to solve. Some listeners become so enamored with an episode that they replay it endlessly, while others might wander off after a handful of episodes. As the horizon of possibilities expands with accessible online radio station hosting, ensuring your podcast maintains its allure and continues to captivate becomes paramount.
Today, we discuss how to move your podcast from one time favourite to an all-time favourite list.
Through live podcasting, listeners can interact with the host in real-time. The content has been registered and played in a recorded podcast at the designated time. But a live-streaming podcast is more spontaneous, where the streamer can host from an online radio station.
On the other hand, recorded podcasts are pre-planned and executed in a specific, desired way. Some podcast streamers may also make their podcasts available in audio and video formats to draw engagement and cater to the audience’s curiosity. It is worth noting that both these formats allow streamers to monetise their episodes.
Engaging your audience so that they keep coming back for more is the key to making your podcast stand out. However, it is worth noting that anyone who listens to your podcast is an audience, making it a vast ocean to scoop from.
Podcasts have become relatively popular, and creating engaging content aims at fostering a relationship with your audience. It is essential to be mindful of the type and quality of content, the level of engagement you are drawing, and even being thoughtful about how your podcast can impact their behaviour.
Even if you are talking about something that closely impacts your audience’s life, they will simply walk away if it is not engaging enough. Making your podcast exciting and valuable is as essential as ordering your favourite Starbucks (more, actually).
Let's discover how you can make your podcast engaging:
Defining an audience helps customise your script and the information you will deliver through the podcast. For instance, an audience in their mid or late 20s will prefer listening to podcasts about financial advice or how to become a thought leader at their workplace.
Audiences in their teens will want to listen to celebrities talk, give life advice, or even learn to study better. On the other hand, audiences in their fifties will want to listen to podcasts that act as background noise or are inclined towards philosophical matters.
Different audiences will have different expectations and needs from a podcast. Understanding this will help you curate better, more relatable, and preferable podcasts.
The key is not in spending time but in investing it. If your podcast offers no value, it will discourage people from tapping into it again.
Strategising what you discuss in the podcast is the first step to ensuring your podcast is value-driven and does not beat around the bush. Make a list of topics that are trending and are preferred by your target audience. Understand your expertise and decide whether to invite co-hosts or collaborate with other podcasters. Many online radio station hosting platforms make collaborating an ease, so you have the freedom to choose.
Stimulating the minds and emotions of your audience ensures they stay till the very end and add your next episode streaming date to their calendars. The value you aim to provide should also be distributed throughout the podcast. It ensures your audience has something more to look forward to and even shares it with their friends and family.
Podcasts can be about anything and everything. However, organising your podcast around a theme gives your potential audience an idea of what to expect and respects their time. Your audience is busy getting through their days and will need more time to arrange jumbled information into understandable and useful information.
Choose a theme and stay true to the theme. Create a layout plan for the podcast that will follow. If you are co-hosting or collaborating, share it with them as well. Your audience will not only enjoy your podcast, but they will also take you seriously.
Referring to a different podcast episode where you discussed something related to a current topic is an effortless way to encourage your listers to check other episodes. It is an impactful way to make people realise the vast range of information you cover through these podcasts.
Additionally, if you have a landing page or newsletter, you can include a link to your previous episodes or make announcements whenever a new episode is out. It keeps your audience hooked and plans their schedule around it too.
Do you want them to subscribe to your podcast? Do you want them to send their questions for the next episode? Or do you just want them to leave a review? A call to action offers purpose to your listeners.
This stirs their actions and behaviours, making them feel engaged. Make sure every podcast episode has a specific call to action. List it in your podcast description as well.
Whether it is a live podcasting or a recorded podcast, including your audience is vital to ensure they tune in the next time.
Attracting your target audience to listen is only part of the cycle. To reach more listeners and include more perspectives in your podcast, you must evaluate your strategy continuously and optimise it to get new people constantly. Let’s discuss some practical ways to do this:
Creating a private community fosters a sense of belonging. It encourages people to talk about your podcast with their family and friends, inviting them to try listening to it, even once. Word-of-mouth marketing can help increase and strengthen your community.
Remember - your audience is in a hurry, looking for podcasts that tell them straightforwardly what to expect. A clickbait title is a big no. So, use powerful words to make your titles stand out.
Pair up with an influencer or collaborate with a brand to give your audience a refreshing episode. These episodes get featured on both channels, encouraging their audience to check your channel and vice versa. Having a guest episode also helps fill the gap of constantly creating content. Your podcast must match your audience’s preferences.
While your podcast can be entertaining, informative and worth listening to, keeping your audience engaged throughout is essential. Consider sending them emails expressing gratitude for their attendance, what to expect in the next episode and even a call to action to encourage them to leave a review or provide feedback.
Planning, strategising and executing a podcast episode is still ongoing. Keeping track of metrics ensure you are aware of growth, area of improvement and where your audience is finding you from.
Today's attention span has decreased to 10 seconds, yet podcasts have gained momentum. That’s solely because they are easy to listen to, can be accessed anywhere, anytime and do not cost much. Moreover, these are a break from the regular media diet, where users must pay attention to video content to understand the context. Podcasts use storytelling to keep listeners engaged. Additionally, podcasts can be made on any topic, giving everyone something to soak in.
In the dynamic realm of podcasting, brands and influencers find themselves with an unprecedented avenue to swiftly connect with their audience. Yet, the journey stretches beyond the mere decision to embark on a live podcasting venture. Strategic planning, thoughtful content creation, and a deep understanding of your target audience are the keystones that not only beckon listeners but also keep them coming back for more. The compass guiding this voyage is the insightful scrutiny of metrics, enabling you to tailor your content to ensure continual relatability and relevance. Embracing experimentation within your podcast episodes infuses an element of delightful surprise for your audience, fostering an ongoing sense of engagement.
As you stand on the threshold of your podcast series launch, remember that crafting a compelling podcast is an art form that merges content, connection, and creativity. The question is: Are you prepared to unfurl your podcast's narrative, inviting audiences to join you on a journey of insight, intrigue, and inspiration?
