What I’ve Learned From Podcasting…

Dear all new aspiring small podcasters entering the podcast boom! Podcasting- has become the next biggest thing in the audio world.

According to Spotify, podcast will continue to change how we engage with audio. Most podcast listeners, engage with podcast either for fun when doing extracurricular activities, on their way to work, or coming home from work. Podcast is the streaming radio show platform, that allows consumers to choose what they want to engage with and listen to, even when visuals aren’t shown. The genres of podcast is very flexible, and does not require a lot of hardcore work, which has made it increasingly popular.

Anchor (The Podcast Hosting Site)

When I first started my podcast, it was all because a company like Anchor existed. Anchor provides a unlimited free hosting platform for creators to help create a podcast regardless of financial situation. Much like how social media applications like Facebook, Reddit, Snapchat, and Instagram has continued to remain free for everyone regardless of financial situations, to open the playing field of opportunity.

Anchor Provides Their Users:

1. Free recordings of podcast in standard podcast format.
2. Free copyright approved transitional music.
3. Free Audio Editing tools.
4. Free Podcast Logo Creator.
5. Free Spotify music library integration.
6. Free embedded code for website podcast plays.
7. Free integration to podcast streaming platforms like Stitchers, Google & Apple Podcast, Itunes & six other platforms.
8. Free Fan Base Monthly Tipping program.
9. Eligibility to gain advertisement opportunities regardless of podcast size.
10. Free Transcript Transfer.
11. Opportunity to access beta program Anchor Podcast Lab studios for Free.

Utilizing platforms like Anchor make creating a podcast easy regardless budget size. For all podcast beginners, all you need is:

1. A Good Podcast Logo: Your Podcast Logo will be your audience first impression of your podcast. Make sure it is clear, represents what will happen on your podcast, or your niche area. This will serve as a click bait for your podcast. If you are not good with Graphic Arts or don’t feel comfortable building this, Fiverr is a great resource for low budgets. You can pay for a logo as cheap as $5.
2. A microphone: You can pay for a microphone as cheap as $15, up to as expensive you are willing to pay. It is not necessary to pay a large amount for your microphone.
3. A MP3 recorder: Anchor provides free recording on their platform, as well as the opportunity to download audio to your mobile, tablets, and laptop devices. Although, if you still have a preference audio recorder and editor tool you can utilize it.
4. Audio Engineers: Depending on the quality of audio background noises you may desire in a story teller podcast. It all depends on personal preference.
5. A Vlog Style Camera: If you are planning on posting a visual podcast on digital platforms like YouTube, investing into a good camera may be necessary.
6. A budget: You can start a podcast with under $50 in budget planning, or you can go as big as the Impaulsive podcast. By having a personalized podcast studio. There is numerous studios designed for podcasters, as the industry continues to boom.
7. A Game Plan: You should have an idea of what kind of podcast you want to create. If the podcast needs to do research on topics, if it will be a podcast series, if you will need interviewees. Also, you should have a clear date and time that you are going to do the podcast, how long each episode should last. Having a game plan will help you achieve consistency needed in order to keep a steady audience.

When creating a podcast especially as a small podcaster, your entrance into the space is the biggest marketing opportunity you will receive.

You want to make sure you utilize all marketing opportunities to help build an audience prior to your first podcast drop. Some things that I wished that I would have done, that are very useful:

1. Create a Facebook page: When you create a Facebook page for your podcast, make sure to utilize information individuals in your niche area maybe interested in. Then add friends, family members, or anyone whom falls with interest in your niche area to your page. Uploading photos, memes, and teaser audiogram.
2. Utilizing Audiograms: You can release audio teasers of what topics your podcast will talk about or snippets of audio using audiograms. I utilize the FREE platform Headliner that provides audiograms for YouTube, Instagram TV, Facebook and Instagram. Also I utilize the Spark Post Adobe App & Canvaa to create visual backgrounds for my audiograms. They both offer Free Stock Images, and design outlines, that you can personalize for your own advertisement.
3. Have a Dedicated Instagram page: Do NOT combine your Facebook page to your Instagram account. Individually post your works on different platforms because each platform advertisement works differently. If you add your Facebook page and make it a business account, you get switched on Instagram’s Business algorithm, where you can get less followers, and expansion opportunity. This is because if you sign up for a business account, they want you to pay for online advertisement, so they won’t give you natural followers the same. You don’t need to switch to a business account till you reach 5,000 listeners. When you reach that you will receive an increasing amount of advertisement opportunities for businesses.
4. Announce Your Drop Date: By having an announcing your drop date, you will increase hype, and can have a guaranteed audience during your first drop.
5. Email List Advertisement: If you have a website, or an email list, sending links to your social media pages and where your podcast will be, will help build a decent listener size.

Once you set a date for your podcast release and have released your first episode, it is important to stay consistent, and continue marketing.

1. Create A Website: Creating an online blog or website with a newsletter option, provides a space for your audience to learn more about you, or your business, and helps to gain a newsletter list. Mail-chimp is a well known company that provides both free and paid newsletters formats to help promote your site.
2. Post Daily On All Social Medias: Make sure to stay up to date with insight in your niche. Use your social media platforms as a way to provide a feed of information crafted to your niche. Utilize Instagram stories features like countdowns, GIFs, and stickers to make yourself stand out.
3. Host a Live Podcast Event: You can achieve this both online through platforms that provide a live option or you can rent out a space and host a live audience event.
4. Attend a Podcast Festival: Podcast Movement is an online site that list all the annual podcast festivals occurring worldwide. Podcast festivals have both online and physical access making them affordable for most. They have a series of workshops, classes, and networking.
5. Find Guest: A lot of podcast utilize guest on their show to show more attraction to their podcast. Guest usually use their social media applications to promote their attendance on individuals podcast, to help spread awareness. Sites like Podcast Guests, provides a free online match system to get guest on their podcasts.

Once you start your podcast, you will learn new tools and resources along your personal journey, that may benefit you more. That is completely fine. It is okay if your first podcast episode is not perfect. As you progress, you will get better and find systems that work for you.

Trying all these things, have allowed me to go from receiving 500 listeners over the course of 7 months, to 1,000 listeners over the course of 2 months.

Our Podcast Logo

If you currently own a podcast yourself and would like to add to the conversation, make sure to leave a comment below, and share your experiences in the new Podcast Boom.