Podcasting Basics: How to Produce a Successful Podcast & The Pitfalls to Avoid
If you are looking to start a podcast, well, congratulations! You are tapping into an estimated 505 million people who listen to podcasts. Imagine what you can achieve with even a fraction of this audience as your loyal listeners.
People listen to podcasts to be entertained, learn something new, or as a distraction while performing other tasks. Podcasts offer diverse content on virtually anything, from sports to real estate.
Radio Open Source by Christopher Lydon, launched in 2003, is often considered one of the first recorded podcasts, though the term podcast had not been coined yet. The first show officially recognized as a podcast is The Daily Source Code by Adam Curry, which debuted in 2004.
Becoming a podcaster means joining over 2 million podcasts in existence. That number continues to grow. This explosion means endless opportunities, but it also creates a saturated market.
Standing out requires strategic planning and an understanding of the current podcasting landscape.
What Do Podcasters Struggle With?
Finding a Niche
There are so many directions a new podcaster could take, and this presents a dilemma. Choosing a niche is not easy or even clear. Some veteran podcasters choose specific niches early on, only to diversify later once they discover what their audiences resonate with.
Finding a niche is a very personal decision. It largely depends on your field, passions, or reason for wanting to connect with an audience.
Choosing the right niche, no matter how specialized, can mean interacting with an engaged and loyal audience, contributing to podcast success.
Consistency in Content
Most podcasts stop after the 3rd episode for several reasons, including inconsistency in content. It’s common to visit podcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcasts only to find episodes that are months or even years apart.
Inconsistent posting leads to audience drop-off. Once the podcast loses momentum, it can be challenging to pick up where you left off, let alone build a large audience.
Several reasons can cause a lack of consistency in posting content. Busy schedules, not creating enough content in advance to post, or even discouragement from low views.
Effective Marketing
Marketing can be challenging for most podcasters, especially if they are new. It takes time to market a new show organically. Even with paid advertising like social media ads or pay-per-click ads, gaining traction may still take more than that.
The market is also quite overcrowded. Effective marketing can be challenging when trying to stand out in such a space.
Technical Know-How
Great photos do well on social sites like Instagram and Pinterest, as do podcasts with high-quality audio and video. Top shows like The Joe Rogan Experience have high-quality audio and great visuals.
Investing in high-end cameras and mics may be unrealistic for new podcasters or hosts on a budget. Most people may also not be aware that great audio and video can be achieved with relatively affordable equipment.
Poor-quality video or audio can turn away audiences, leading to low engagement.
What Creates A Successful Podcast?
Successful podcasts result from combined efforts, including effective marketing strategies and an in-depth understanding of your target audience. Here are some of the top five tips to create a successful podcast:
1. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience means that you know what they need from you or a podcast in your field of interest. For instance, if you are a commercial real estate agent, you can focus on an audience in your primary service area.
Niches can be extremely specific or more open to leaving room for content material, as you wish. For instance, a commercial real estate agent from Brooklyn can focus on commercial real estate in Brooklyn, women in commercial real estate, or real estate investments in Brooklyn.
The audience’s needs will determine the choice of a niche. Do they primarily want investment advice or news updates on commercial real estate in general or in Brooklyn?
Solving your audience’s pain points is a sure-fire way to create a successful podcast.
2. Compelling Content
Once your audience is niched down, offering them the best content possible is the next step. Firstly, the topics discussed must have depth and add value to their lives. And more importantly, the content must be delivered in an engaging and stimulating format.
Pick a format that keeps listeners engaged, be it having two hosts on the show, inviting guests over for insights into their professional outlooks, or live Q&A sessions to keep listeners engaged.
Compelling content addresses your listeners’ ongoing needs, answers their questions, or updates them on your niche’s latest news and developments.
Stay in sync with their needs by continuously spending time where they do. This could be on Reddit Forums or Instagram Threads or encouraging them to leave comments and feedback.
3. Consistency
It’s cliche at this point, but it is still true: consistency is key. Choose how often you will update the podcast and stick to the schedule. Monthly, weekly, biweekly – it doesn’t matter.
It is crucial in podcasting to ensure that your audience knows when to expect your content. Subscribers can opt for reminders to stay updated on your latest episode.
Attracting new audiences is an uphill task; retaining them is more challenging. Ensure you don’t lose out on the great first impression your podcast made through inconsistency in posting.
4. Promote Your Podcast
Marketing is non-negotiable, especially for new entrants in the podcast landscape. Create a robust marketing campaign, including social media, blogs, and email marketing.
Podcasts are versatile because you can create multiple content forms from one episode. Newsletters, blog articles, and social media posts are content forms that can be made from one episode.
Create content to market on different platforms. Consider paid advertising as it brings instant results. Channels like PPC and banner ads are instantaneous; you post an ad and get leads immediately.
A great and cost-effective marketing tip is to guests on podcasts that can increase your exposure as a host and win you new listeners.
Savvy podcast owners guest on other podcasts to promote their content to a broader audience and grow their network in the industry.
5. Quality Trumps Quantity
For pre-recorded podcasts, editing can take quite a chunk of post-production time. However, podcasts with high-quality audio and video do better than those without.
Invest in quality editing software and skilled personnel if you are not tech-savvy. It’s relatively easy to get a subscription-based editing software. If hiring a technician is out of the question, you can use online tutorials to use video editing apps.
Additionally, quality equipment makes for quality production. Where possible, invest in a good mic and robust camera.
Quality production ensures your audience can hear and see you and is, therefore, more likely to keep engaging with your content.
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What Are The Problems With The Podcast Industry?
Like every other industry, the podcast market is fraught with problems, including:
Saturation
Though it is challenging to succeed in podcasting, starting one is relatively easy. As such, there has been an upsurge of new podcasts on the market.
These new podcasts make it challenging to enter the space and find your audience. Since your show is new, placing it in front of the right people is difficult. That challenge doubles when so many other podcasts are being produced every day.
The key to beating the competition is differentiation and continued marketing.
Monetization Challenges
Most podcast owners, especially those who produce content from their work, dream of monetizing their podcasts. Monetization, however, is a tricky venture for podcasters.
For beginners, their audience may not reach the required numbers for monetization or have the required engagement levels for brand sponsorships.
Discoverability
Many listeners struggle to find new shows. On the other hand, podcasters may find it challenging to optimize their shows for discoverability.
Search engine optimization, SEO, is an effective tool to improve discoverability and get your show in front of the right audience.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Producing a Successful Podcast – By ICONS of Real Estate
At ICONS of Real Estate, we work closely with real estate professionals who want to leverage the power of podcasts to close more transactions and grow their revenues.
ICONS boasts the best real estate podcast production team with hands-on experience producing, promoting, and marketing real estate podcasts and hosts to expand their reach.
Our production process in a nutshell:
- First Steps:
- We sync our calendars to avoid scheduling conflicts and keep everything on track.
- Gather your best logos, headshots, and other visual goodies to give your podcast a unique look.
- Crafting Your Content:
- We review and fine-tune your podcast description, intro, and outro to make them catchy and compelling.
- Our Master Sheet will be your go-to guide for organizing all your podcast content and ensuring a smooth workflow.
- Tech Talk:
- We’ll need your YouTube channel’s login details to ensure your podcast reaches a broader audience.
- Grant us access to your website so we can seamlessly integrate your podcast.
- Choose your preferred communication method: WhatsApp, Slack, or email. We’re flexible!
- Guest Gathering:
- Let’s start building your guest list. Share the names and contact details of any potential guests you have in mind. We have a vast network of industry experts, so don’t worry if your guest list runs out!
- Recording Episodes:
- We can use AI to create a professional voiceover for your intro and outro if you’re short on time.
- Our team will record, edit, and master your podcast episodes.
- Launch Time:
- We distribute your podcast to all the major platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.
- Your podcast will also be available on YouTube, reaching even more listeners.
And that’s it! No fancy gear, no expensive equipment – just leveraging your expertise to provide your listeners with value.
Don’t let your voice drown in a sea of subpar competitors. Leverage our years of experience and success as the no.# real estate podcast network on the planet to launch your very own podcast.
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