When you start a podcast, how to be successful is one of the first questions that comes to mind. There are many successful podcasts that see real tangible business growth through podcasting. However, you need the right podcast set up from the start and an aim for your podcast.
For example, are you trying to drive leads and sales? Research consistently demonstrates that you can improve purchase intent by 64% with ads during a podcast.
In this article, we look at how to run a weekly podcast and how to be successful. There’s a wealth of information about setting up a podcast on the Produce Your Podcast blog, so do check this out. It’s impossible to cover everything in one article. However, there are some essentials you need to get right when starting a new podcast, so read on to find out more.
What Do You Need for Your Weekly Podcast: How to Be Successful
The first aspects you need to consider for a successful podcast are your aim for your podcast, good quality equipment, and a plan. Approaching your podcast as a professional from the outset will set you up for the long-term growth of your podcast.
Goal – Why Start A Podcast?
First decide on the aim of your podcast. You might have more than one. Work out how you will leverage your skills and experience and turn these into an inspiring and high-quality podcast that listeners will continue to return to. It’s important that listeners can spread the word about your podcast to their friends, family, and co-workers. Word-of-mouth marketing is essential for your growth, as well as reaching out to potential new listeners with various other marketing avenues.
So, why did you decide to start a podcast? Of course you want to increase your leads and reach new customers, but you’ll usually have a real aim to focus on. Do you have a wealth of knowledge from building a successful, well-known business? Do you have a wealth of tips and advice to share with others? Perhaps you’ve been on a journey you wish to share, or you want to provide a voice for others. A defined aim will help you determine what you want to achieve from your podcast.
You can then decide on individual goals to help you achieve your aim and break this down further into milestones. This will give your podcast direction. Once you have determined your goals and milestones, you can decide on your structure for your podcast and the topics you wish to cover. You can also decide on an actionable point for each episode; you might want to consider this your call-to-action for each episode. Give your listeners an actionable take-home point from each episode to give them something to focus on and a reward for their time. Your call-to-action might be for your listener to download a PDF guide or ebook or sign up for your mailing list.
If your aim is to reach a local audience and grow your customer base, then sharing your knowledge and experience will get you known as an expert in your field and demonstrate your worth in your niche. You can share your expertise by utilizing case studies and interviewing clients. Or you might want to interview other experts to offer new customers social proof.
Break your aspirations up into smaller manageable chunks because you can then celebrate your small successes. Your milestones might be to achieve a certain number of downloads, several leads, listeners, or followers on social media. You can reuse a milestone but increase the challenge as you progress.
Equipment – Invest in Quality Equipment
When you start a podcast, for it to be successful, you need the right equipment. And your equipment needs to be high-quality, so your listeners can enjoy each episode. When you work with Produce Your Podcast, we arrange all your equipment and send it to you, so you know your podcast has great potential to start.
This equipment includes a microphone and mic stand, headphones, an interface box that connects to your laptop, webcam, ring light, and everything else you need to produce a podcast with great sound quality. You need the right equipment for recording, editing, and post-production.
You can test the sound quality of your podcast yourself, play back the sound, and make sure it’s correct. The Produce Your Podcast production engineers will also ensure you know how to use the equipment and run a live sound check before recording so you don’t waste any time and can get straight to producing high-quality audio. An important aspect of sound quality is consistency. Ensure your sound is the same for each episode so your listeners recognize your podcast brand.
Structure and Content – Plan Your Episodes
When you work with the Produce Your Podcast team for your weekly podcast, you receive a form to fill in before recording each episode. This will act as a template for your podcast notes to provide structure for your episode.
First, you should include the time and date of the episode. You can plan your topic, who you wish to interview, actionable points, ad breaks, and other essential steps. Your audience will certainly appreciate a consistent approach to your podcast episodes. Finally, give your episode a title. Ensure your title choice is consistent too.
List on your plan a checklist for all the equipment you require and additional props. This could include a book that you wish to talk about.
Guests should be aware of the structure of your episodes as you want your interviews to sound as natural as possible. You can provide a breakdown of questions you want to go through with your guest. A good structure will keep you focused when recording and prevent you from talking too much about one topic and not another. Include the aim of your episode and your actionable point for the end of the episode.
Finally, for podcast success, expertly edit and release your podcast. Include release dates, promotions, social media announcements, and teaser trailers. Advertise your podcast in advance to generate anticipation. If you have a website or webpage for your podcast, make sure it gets uploaded along with your show notes.
FAQs Running a Weekly Podcast: How Can it Be Successful?
How to be a Successful Podcast Host
Make sure you have high-quality sound and inspiring content.
How to Manage a Successful Podcast
Be organized as a successful podcast host. Plan each recording episode and have a clear goal for each episode.
How to Be a Successful Podcast Host
Set goals and milestones for a clear direction to move in.
Final Word: Running a Weekly Podcast: How Can It Be Successful?
When you decide to start a podcast, how to be successful is often one the first questions people ask. There are many ways to have a successful podcast, and we offer a wealth of information when you work with the Produce Your Podcast team, a podcast production agency that can help your business grow leads and revenue. We also have a blog full of inspiration for your podcast.
While the first few episodes you record can be daunting, here are some key points for success. Using high-quality recording equipment is essential to achieving a consistent sound quality. Have an aim for your podcast and direction with goals and milestones in your plans. Great content and a clear structure will help to propel your podcast to growth and prosperity.
Produce Your Podcast is a premier podcast consulting, production & marketing agency. Our team of experts provides comprehensive, full-service quality solutions for B2B and B2C clients to incorporate podcasting into their overall marketing strategy. If you’re looking for a reliable partner to help launch or grow your business-branded podcast and boost your sales and marketing goals, we’re here to help.
Click here to schedule a conversation with our team today. Let’s work together to create a high-quality podcast that takes your business to new heights!
