From The Joe Rogan Experience to Tech Talk With Vodacom, there are a ton of podcasts to choose from. But podcasts are growing in popularity and there’s always room for more; if you think you have something to offer, then read on for tips to becoming a successful podcaster.
Get The Right Equipment
Studio space can be expensive, especially for those starting out. At this point a DIY approach is best and some people find creative ways to record their podcast. This includes using a mobile phone to record the audio and then transferring it to a computer to edit. But if you want your podcast to pop, you need good sound.
For this, only a decent microphone will do. There are XLR-type mics that plug into a mixing deck and capture great sound and sound dynamic. Or consider a USB microphone, which plugs straight into your computer and records directly into the recording software.
Editing software and recording platform are also important, especially if you’re running a DIY podcast. You have plenty of options, including:
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Buzzcast
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Stream Yard
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Alitu
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Filmora (especially if you’re recording video)
Write A Good Script
Podcasts like Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson and The Joe Rogan Experience generally don’t appear to be scripted. But if you run a topic-based, as opposed to a guest-based podcast, a script is a good idea.
First determine your goal: are you generating leads for a company, are you doing it for recognition in the industry, or are you trying to get a message across?
Then structure your podcast script, ideally into the following sections:
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Intro
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Guest intro
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Light questioning
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Core conversation
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Outro
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Call to action to bring more listeners into the podcast.
Always pay close attention while questioning your guest. This will prompt more organic questions, making the podcast come across as conversational.
Find A Platform To Share Your Podcast
Sharing an audio file of your podcast with friends, family, and colleagues is one way of getting listens, but if you want a wider audience you need to make it available on popular platforms where it can be discovered. These include:
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Apple Podcast (previously on iTunes store)
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Google Podcast (previously in Play Music)
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Spotify (Went through recent updates to make the experience more seamless for podcasters)
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TuneIn (technically a radio platform but growing in popularity for podcasts). It’s also where Amazon’s Alexa directs its audio requests.
How To Make Money From Podcasting
You can do a podcast for the glory or the enjoyment, but most people putting time into something want a reward for their efforts. That reward is money and there are several ways to monetise your podcast:
Upload your podcast to YouTube. This is probably the easiest method. Of course, recording video comes in handy, but a static image with your podcast audio playing over it can also work.
Approach a sponsor. If your content is compelling enough, you may be able to strike a deal with a sponsor who you can mention throughout the podcast in exchange for financial remuneration.
Get podcast advertising via advertising networks. There are a few advertising networks available, including Midroll, Advertise Cast and Authentic Sound. Some hosting sites also have built-in advertising networks you can leverage. Keep in mind that advertising is often done on a cost per mille (CPM) basis, which means price per thousand impressions basis – so it helps to have a healthy audience reach.
Just remember there are no shortcuts; with all the above options, you’ll need to do some legwork to build an audience before you can monetise your podcast.
Listen To And Learn From Other Podcasts
With so many podcasts out there, no one can give you a magic formula to create the best one. The most important thing you can do is to listen to as many podcasts as possible and create your own formula based on what you hear. For this, you’ll need uncapped, reliable and fast internet connectivity, which is available from Vodacom Fibre.
