Podcasts are fast becoming one of the most downloaded or streamed media on mobile devices. In fact, in the USA alone, an estimated 850,000 active podcasts are posting regularly across all platforms. That is an insane amount of content! So, if you want to jump on this content train, you’re probably wondering how to make your pod stand out from the crowd. Below are a few top tips for making your podcast great and successful, so read on to find out more.
A Great Theme
Every ground-breaking new podcast these days has a great theme. That theme can be as simple as “current affairs,” as long as you’re interested when discussing it! Some choose specific historical events, movie genres, or famous people to discuss. Some are just great interviews with interesting people. There are many avenues you can go down, you just have to make sure you are either knowledgeable or inquisitive on said subject and commit to it for the duration. Having a solid, regular theme will keep customers coming back for more!
Music and Sound Effects
The next thing to consider is the “audio branding” of the podcast if you will. Don’t forget that Podcast Music is a very important start to any show. A good theme tune helps listeners feel like they’re in a familiar space, ready to hear a familiar (good) show. You could consider writing and recording a jingle yourself, or maybe asking around friends with some musical talent. Of course, you could outsource your theme tune and any other audio effects to musicians or producers, if you can afford to do so.
Solid Host(s)
Just like every other aspect we’ve discussed so far, the podcast hosts are equally as important. Assuming you are starting this podcast yourself, you need to be sure you have what it takes to carry the conversation and be engaging. Do you think you’d be better with a co-host? Is this subject something that requires group discussion? There’s plenty to consider when it comes to hosting, as basically, the host is the entire show! You could have the greatest theme or idea for a show but have it presented by someone entirely flat and unengaging, which would be a recipe for disaster.
Name, Logo and Branding
Next up, let’s consider how people are going to be discovering your podcast. They may search for a topic or theme, but what if they just happen to scroll past your show? How are you going to entice them in? Firstly, a good name is really important. There’s no doubt that shows with catchy, strong, or clever names tend to do better than those without. Come up with a name related to your show, your name, or your ideas, and make it catchy.
Alongside a good name, you’ll need a decent logo. As people scroll through their podcast app, you want your show to pop out at them and look appealing, so the logo and cover image need to be spot on. Get your photography and graphic design skills flowing and create yourself some strong cover art.
Great Guests
You may not want any guests on your podcast and that’s fine. If that’s the case, feel free to skip this segment. If you are thinking of guests, great! Depending on what your pod is about, you may find that finding guests is very difficult at first. However, if you have the theme, the energy, and the commitment, the great guests will eventually come. How do you see it working? Table discussion, long-form interviews, clips of guests? There are many ways to integrate guests into a podcast. We recommend choosing a format you enjoy and sticking with that throughout. Keep it consistent.
Regular Posting
Posting on a regular schedule tends to help podcasts be more successful. Maybe it’s the anticipation, maybe it’s the fact you regularly show up in people’s feeds. Whatever it is, we recommend picking a schedule and sticking to it. Going to release twice a week? Great! Make it every Sunday and Wednesday, for example, and stick to that throughout the series. You’ll likely find people coming back and waiting for the next episode. Pair this with regular promotion on social media, you’ll find people coming back regularly for more.
These things are the key elements involved in promoting and making a new podcast successful. Following these simple steps will help you make your podcast both successful and satisfying to make, too. We hope it works out for you and you create a long-lasting and enjoyable run of podcasts.
