Chances are you’ve thought about adding a podcast to your content marketing channel lineup, but …
… You don’t have the time or bandwidth right now, or
… You’re not sure how to get started, or
… You’ve got a lot of of other things to work on that take priority
Maybe it’s all of the above. All are legitimate justifications.
But if you see the value of podcasting, none of those reasons should stop you. Not because podcasting is easy or because it doesn’t take much time or planning. Rather, because in our humble opinion, the value of podcasting outweighs the costs.
The following tips will help you overcome the barriers that are holding you back from getting started with podcasting.
Tip 1: There will never be a “perfect” time to start a podcast
Let’s face it.
Waiting for the right time to start a podcast is like a young couple waiting for the “right time” to have kids.
There is no perfect time to start a family. Or to start a podcast.
You’ll never really feel like you have the “bandwidth.” You’ll always be busy with other things. There will probably never come a time when you feel relaxed enough, caught up enough, confident enough, or “whatever” enough to take the plunge.
A big part of the issue is not knowing what’s involved in starting a podcast and how long it takes to get a show up and running … and the time commitment needed to keep it going.
Allow us to inform you …
With the right team in place–either an in-house team or working with a podcasting agency–planning and launching a podcast takes about a month.
If you prioritize the right things and take one step at a time, the process doesn’t have to be overwhelming or keep you from handling all the other things on your plate.
You just need to know where to begin. Speaking of which …
Tip 2: Begin with the basics
Planning a podcast isn’t fundamentally different from planning any other type of content channel.
Early planning stages include setting goals, defining the scope and tone of the podcast, identifying your idea listener, getting the right host in place, etc. We wrote about that in more detail here.
The most important place to begin is with your audience, or the segment of your audience at which you’re aiming the podcast. Start by asking:
- Who is our ideal listener?
- What are they most interested in learning about?
- Which topics or what sorts of information will they find most valuable?
- What are some ideas or opinions they might disagree with or be surprised by?
The deeper you understand your ideal listener, the easier it is to map the focus, scope and tone of the podcast onto the needs and wants of the listener.
In other words, you don’t have to figure everything out from scratch. Let what you already know about your audience guide you, and other elements of podcast planning–what to call the podcast, how often to publish, promoting the show–will fall into place.
Tip 3: Find the right host
Not knowing who should–or would be willing–to host the podcast is one of the biggest barriers to getting started.
After all, the host plays an incredibly important role in setting the tone for the show, connecting with guests, conducting great interviews, and generally providing the energy and personality the podcast needs to stand out.
For an in-depth take on finding the right host, check out this article.
For now, sufficit it to say that the right host:
- Actually wants to host the show and is willing to devote time to it (it doesn’t take as much time as you might assume)
- Genuinely enjoys conversation and exploring ideas and opinions with people
- Has enough knowledge about the topic to have in-depth discussions with subject matter experts
- Understands the value of podcasting and is on board with the goals and strategy
If you honestly don’t have anyone in mind who checks those criteria, then podcasting may not be a good fit.
But if you do have someone who’s at least worth considering, then you’re ahead of the game and in great shape to move ahead. Starting a podcast is a great way to unlock their potential and leverage their skills to produce great content.
It doesn’t matter if your potential host has never done podcasting before. As long as they have the basic qualities listed above, with the right coaching and a bit of practice, they can become a great host and take your podcast to the next level.
Tip 4: Make podcasting a priority
There will always be other things that take priority over starting a podcast … if you let them.
Podcasting will never be a priority … unless you make it so.
Because, let’s be honest: nothing gets done unless there’s some urgency behind it.
The urgency behind starting a podcast is that if you don’t do it, someone else will.
Not that there can’t be more than one podcast in your industry. Chances are there are already at least a handful, maybe more. But if you check them out, you’ll find that some are no longer active, and the rest are just OK, nothing special.
Meaning that you have an opportunity to make podcasting a priority and create a show that will become the leader in your industry. But only if you make it a priority.
And so …
The point is not that you should drop everything and start a podcast. That would be … what’s the word? Dumb. Because podcasting should be part of a well-balanced content marketing strategy, involving multiple channels and types of content designed for different stages of the customer journey.
The point is that if you don’t carve out time for podcasting and make a deliberate push to make it happen, it will never happen. You’ll always have other things that come first, that require more attention, that leave little time and energy for exploring something new.
And the reality is that starting a podcast doesn’t have to derail other efforts or divert your focus from other projects. When done the right way, podcasting flows naturally from and builds on your existing content marketing channels.
If you see value in podcasting and understand that there’s no way to realize the value other than actually trying podcasting, there’s simply no reason to keep putting it off.
Time to get started
If you’re convinced that it’s high time to take the first steps toward creating and launching your podcast, we’re here to help! Contact us today for a free consultation.