When launching a new business podcast, it can be hard to know where to start. There’s a lot of information out there from hosts, podcast production companies, and others who will all tell you what their new advice is for business podcast hosts. It can be hard to gather all the information together, so here is a quick rundown of the top business podcast advice for new hosts you can use to get your podcast off to a great start.
Ensure All Your Resources are Created First
The first thing that you need to do is to ensure that you have everything you want for promotion. So marketing materials should be created before you start to push to promote your episodes and record new episodes, you don’t need to spend time making some basic marketing materials.
That doesn’t mean that you won’t have to create media in the future. Every episode will require a thumbnail and other promotional materials. But by having some generic content, you can reduce the time you take to market your podcast generally.
Create a Checklist
Whenever you’re producing numerous episodes of a podcast at the same time, you might want to create a checklist you can use for each podcast episode. What this will include will be every step of the process that you can tick off as they’re done. So you might be working on the script for one episode, recording for another, and then editing for a third.
A checklist allows you to focus on the episodes and ensure that you’re not missing out on activities that can make them less effective. Checklists can be created on a Google Sheets document, so if you’re outsourcing any work or have more people on your team you can all access the list and make changes when needed.
Collaborate
Collaborating with other people can be a great way to tap into the audience of those who have an established audience. Numerous other podcast hosts can help you. And they will get the chance to reach new audiences with you too.
Working with other podcast hosts allows you to speak to them about what has worked and what hasn’t. They might help you with your confidence too, allowing you to be a more professional host with a tone that is more attractive to audiences.
Don’t Overuse AI
There is a lot of news about AI, and there are so many tasks that AI can now do. If you’re looking to save time, AI can be used to write show scripts and descriptions. However, AI also has some issues. For one, it can sometimes use incorrect sources or it can sound particularly clunky. You want your podcasts to sound very conversational, something that AI can’t achieve easily.
So while AI can offer some benefits, such as creating transcripts of shows you’ve recorded or creating a list of potential subjects, it shouldn’t be relied on. Any work completed on AI should also be double-checked, to ensure the work is accurate.
Check when using some brands whether they’re using AI if you’re outsourcing any work. Those who are outsourcing blog writing or episode description writing might want to check with the writer that they don’t use AI as this is a growing trend in the writing industry.
Use a Website
To ensure that you’re getting all the attention that you need, you should have a website. Websites allow you to optimize content for search engines that bring users to your episodes. Appearing on Google is more important than some business owners realize.
If you include all traffic, such as direct, referral, etc, Google accounts for 25% of all traffic to websites. However, if you just look at referrals, then Google accounts for 67% of referral traffic, the next largest referral is Bing at 7.12%, and YouTube ranks the third-highest amount at 3.57%.
There are also approximately 8.5 billion searches a day on Google.
Without a website, you’re missing out on a significant amount of potential listeners and fans finding your brand.
And while many people rely on Facebook or other social media channels to find listeners, combined, social media channels only contribute to 8% of traffic to the website.
SEO-optimized websites include lots of aspects such as:
- Using meta titles, descriptions, and alt tags on images.
- Choosing your keywords carefully for website pages and posts.
- Uploading media such as videos and images.
- Page speed for all websites is less than four seconds, and faster if possible.
- Building links to the website.
- Having a blog on the website.
- Building authority for the website.
Use a Mailing List
Another way to build long-term loyalty from listeners is to get them subscribed to your mailing list. In addition to being able to promote your latest episodes, it can also be used to improve the revenues that you get from sponsors as well as be able to sell your products and services.
To get people to join your mailing list you can offer something valuable, like a free PDF, an hour of your time, or a discount on purchases. However, you sometimes don’t need to offer something more valuable than exclusivity. So you could ask people to join your mailing list and become part of an exclusive club.
Mailing lists will need to have lots of time spent on them. Segmentation and tagging can help you build a more effective marketing campaign. And you might need to regularly check your subscriber list and clean your list from those subscribers who are no longer interacting with your content.
Get Sponsors Early
Some people expect that you can’t get sponsors until you have dozens of listeners or subscribers. This myth is not true. There are times when you can get sponsors very early on.
While revenues might not be as high as if you have lots of followers, you can still earn a significant amount that might cover costs or even earn a small profit from your show.
It is important to include any followers you have on social media and email marketing within your sponsorship packages because it allows you to charge more. You might also want to showcase who you’re attracting to be guests on your show, and how your show is going to be advertised.
Also, consider which sponsors are best for you. Choose sponsors that align with your audience, without being competitive to your products/services.
Consider Outsourcing
Unless you’re an experienced podcast host, you’re probably not going to have all the skills essential to make your show a success. That is why you might want to consider hiring a podcast production company to help you bring your podcast to life. A podcast production company can be one of the best investments you have.
With Produce Your Podcast, you can build an effective launch and continued process that will help you produce the best podcast. Our team of experts starts with an equipment check that assesses the current efficiency of your equipment and internet connection. We then recommend upgrades and new equipment, purchasing them and sending them to your recording studio.
We then complete other diagnostics to ensure the equipment is working. We can then help with other aspects of your website which can include recording, editing, show notes, media, and marketing.
And while there is a cost to this, the cost-effectiveness can be worth the investment, especially as the quality of the show released can be better.
Don’t Forget to Thank People and Request Support
One of the common mistakes that hosts make when it comes to their scripts is that they don’t take the time to thank the audience for listening and give them instructions to share the show. All it takes is a couple of lines at the beginning and end of the show to get this message across.
To see how this can be effective, watch some top-performing YouTube channels. YouTube hosts often thank their audience, and ask them to like the video, comment and subscribe.
You can have the same format for your podcast, adjusting as necessary.
You can also add a reason for doing so, which can be as simple as it helps the show. Adding a reason improves the uptake of the request and adds emotion to the request.
Use Humor Within Your Podcast
While humor can’t be added to every line or topic, humor can be a good way to connect with audiences. A study released in 2024 found that 80% of audiences believe that humor within episodes is more important now and it can be a driving factor in whether you retain an audience.
That doesn’t mean that everything you say has to be funny or a joke. But small lines of humor within your speeches, such as using subtle wit, can add a flair to your content that attracts audiences.
Create a Pool of Recurring Guests
While having new guests all the time can be refreshing, it can sometimes be useful to have a list of preferred guests that you bring back several times. One reason is that you might find some people listening to your show because that guest is on that week. Or you might find that their regular presence is a comfort to some audiences.
Having a pool of recurring guests can also help you if a guest pulls out of a show last minute. This can be very frustrating, but if you have worked with several podcast guests in the past and helped them out, they’ll be willing to help you out when you’ve got an issue.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
You can experiment with your podcasts to see what works with your audience. You might want to try using video podcasts, or you could try live podcasts to see if these are more effective for you. An alternative is to choose a different format, moving around segments and where you place adverts.
Experimenting and seeing what audiences prefer allows you to build a more attractive show.
In addition, don’t worry about experimenting with social media, email marketing, and website designs to get your campaigns to match your audience’s preferences.
FAQs
Can a podcast production company help to improve a new show?
A podcast production company can help you create a streamlined process to make your show more successful. They also know the latest trends and tips to ensure that your show reaches the right audiences.
How many episodes should be in production at the same time?
Some hosts work on just a couple of shows at a time, whereas others can have multiple episodes in production. It depends on the length of time between episodes and your timetable.
Is it worth building up a cache of episodes before releasing episodes?
This is a decision that you have to make. Either getting podcasts produced and released as they’re made can be relatively effective, but so can having a backup of episodes.
Final Word: Top Business Podcast Advice for New Hosts
While getting your business podcast online is an exciting time, you need to ensure that you’re setting yourself up so that you have the best chance of success. Above is the top business podcast advice for new hosts that you can use to push your show to the next level, attract audiences, get sponsors to invest in you, and build a brand that will get you recognized as a leader in the industry.
Produce Your Podcast is a full-service podcast production, editing, and marketing agency specializing in helping brands launch, grow, and monetize successful podcasts that impact their bottom line. With 30+ years of experience in broadcasting and business development brought to every project we work on, our team of experts is a reliable partner to help you achieve your goals with your show.
Click here to schedule a conversation with our team today and let’s bring your show to life!
