You’ve decided to start your own Podcast but don’t know where to begin. Setting up a successful Podcast takes dedication and careful planning. To help you get started, here are 5 key steps you should follow before launching your first episode:

1.Define your purpose and audience.

A Podcast without a direction won’t attract listeners. This is the secret sauce to your success! So, before you start outreaching, it is crucial to ask yourself: Who is my target audience? What do they want to hear, and how will my podcast deliver that?

Defining your target audience, ie who would be interested in your podcast, allows you to narrow down the content that these listeners would want to hear. If your topics don’t resonate, listeners will quickly loose interest before you’ve made an impact.

When you know who your audience is, you now need to be clear about your podcast’s purpose. Whether it’s to entertain or spread awareness.

2. Develop a content plan

With your purpose and target audience in mind, the next step is to draw up a detailed content plan. How often will you release episodes? What topics are you going to cover?

• Brainstorm episode topics: make a list of the key points you would like to cover in each episode. Planning ahead will help ensure that the podcast is going forward in the right direction – and having key speakers in different episodes will help you do just that.
• Decide on a schedule: like I mentioned in my blog How hosting a Podcast supports Brand Awareness in order to maintain authority and trust, you need to decide on a schedule that you can stick to. If your schedule is unreliable, then your customers will lose interest. Decide whether you will start at one episode per week, or one every fortnight. The decision is up to you, but it needs to be a schedule that is maintainable for you.

3. Prepare your studio

Choose a comfortable, quiet space to record. Whether you have a suitable home office, or you wish to rent out a studio, you need to have a reliable and quiet place to do this.

• Choose a good microphone.
• Use suitable recording software: research the best equipment within your budget.
• Test your set up: Run sound checks and practice recording to identify and resolve any issues before you start. Choose a comfortable, quiet space to record.

4. Practice speaking

This one might sound simple, but being an engaging speaker is crucial for keeping your audience hooked. This doesn’t mean that you need to be a natural-born performer, but you should feel relaxed, confident, and well-prepared. Remember, you’re the expert that listeners want to hear, so work on your delivery and let your personality and expertise shine through.

5. Create a promotion plan

A Podcast won’t promote itself! Think about how you’ll spread the word:

• Design branding and cover art: make your Podcast visually appealing.
• Promote everywhere: use social media, posters, or even radio to get the word out there!

Now that you have my top tips to get started, you’re ready to get started on your Podcasting journey. Launching your own podcast can be an exciting endeavour, giving you opportunities to increase your brand awareness and explore new business avenues. If you have any questions or are interested in some example Podcast content ideas or scripts. Get in touch to find out more.