Podcast Bytes

Are you unsure about what your podcast topic should be? Maybe you are wondering what your episodes should be about to engage the audience? You are not alone. So, in this episode, I’ll share 8 questions to consider before deciding.  These are several questions I encourage our own clients and students to consider before deciding on the topic of their podcast. They will help you get clear on the journey you want to go on with your podcast as well as the value you will be adding to your listeners’ lives. Ready to nail down a topic for your show? Let’s get started.

What you make your podcast about is obviously very important. This decision will help you map out many other variables such as who this podcast will be for and why we’re creating it in the first place. However, there are millions of options out there to choose from. So, how do you narrow it down? In this episode, I will be sharing my advice for deciding on your podcast’s topic. You really have two ways to think about podcast topics: the content you cover and the format in which you deliver it. Once you have determined the topic, person and theme as well as how you will organize your show, you will have a solid foundation to base your podcast topic on.

Podcasting has proven to be a lot more work than you expected and you’re interested in hiring some help. So, what will this end up costing you if you’re looking at hiring an editor or a production team? In this episode, I’ll break down the three options you will come across and explain the prices you should expect for each. Listen in as I describe the service you will get if you’re willing to pay $15,000 for an episode, as well as what you may have to pay if you’re simply looking for a consultation or the editing of an episode. If you want to see a detailed version of this, you can find an in-depth description on our blog titled How Much Should It Cost to Produce a Podcast.

How much does it cost to make a podcast? Like many things, the answer to this question depends on several factors. In today’s episode, we’re going to highlight five of those factors that you’ll want to consider when attempting to DIY your show. If you’re more of a visual learner, check out our blog post How Much Should It Cost to Produce a Podcast? Between the blog and this episode, you will be equipped to make an educated guess on the cost of creating your own podcast.  Not into DIYs and want some help launching your show? Tune in next week to hear the breakdown of how much it costs to hire an expert.

Podcasting is a lot of work and you need to be proficient at many different skills to make a good one-planning, writing, recording, interviewing, editing, promoting, designing, etc. So, should you hire someone to help you make your podcast? In this episode, I will be answering that question and narrowing down your options in terms of what areas you may want to consider getting help in. Something to consider is you will always be spending time or money. If you don’t have a lot of money, plan on spending your time. And if you have a lot of money or you don’t have a lot of time, plan on hiring help. So decide what you need to do in your situation. You have to figure out what is right for you.

How do you start a podcast? That’s a ridiculously loaded question but I’ll try to give you my most understandable answer in today’s episode. First, understand it can be pretty easy to start a podcast. However, it's hard to make one worth listening to. Second, understand that I can’t tell you all of the actual steps in launching a podcast in less than five minutes. Instead, I’ll give you a broad overview of what you’re getting into.  My team at Come Alive Creative has broken this process into 3 main phases. You will need a plan first: Set your goals, define your target audience and topics, brand your show. Next, you will need to make it. This includes identifying your talent, planning your interviews, and conducting your interviews. Lastly, you need to edit, promote and launch your show. That is just the 1,000-foot view of launching a new podcast.

Deciding who your target audience is for your podcast can be challenging. Typically, it’s the people you’re already working with or the people you want to be working with. This could be prospects of your business (or future business), clients of your business, your existing team, or future talent you’re trying to attract. Of course, this will vary from podcast to podcast. In this episode, I’ll be sharing what I commonly see and what research you may need to do if you’re still not sure. I hope this helps you narrow it down. If you feel clear on your target audience and need more direction in a different area, focus on what interests you. There are a lot of resources that exist.  For example, try searching for keywords like:  Developing personas Niching  Specializing Positioning April Dunford has an insightful book called ”Obviously Awesome” on positioning yourself to attract the right audience. It is a great read and a wonderful place to start! Finding your people requires intention and strategy. Invest the time and effort in it and you’ll be able to serve better and grow your business.

In a world where everything is competing for our attention, podcasting has an unfair advantage over every other medium. In the book Zero to One, Peter Theil discusses this idea of the “Scale of Competition.” It’s how entrepreneurs are biased and they underestimate their competition. I would argue this is true of marketers and content developers as well. Newsletters, videos, blogs, and social media are all competing for people’s visual attention. But those aren’t the only things vying for our attention - want to know what else? Driving, making dinner and playing with your children in the backyard. All of it demands attention from our eyes.  Podcasting is different because it demands attention from our ears. It’s the one medium we can do while doing something else. In that way, it’s unique. The only real competitors are audiobooks, radio, and other podcasts. To me, that’s a huge unfair advantage for reaching and staying with your audience.

Podcasting is basically on-demand audio. It’s similar to a radio show except it’s satisfying someone’s specific need.  Podcasts also have several similar qualities according to James Cridland from the website Podnews… A podcast is an audio file, available to download, and distributed via an RSS feed - just to name a few. But what does this all practically mean? And how does it all work? I hope to clarify this and more for you in today’s episode. Generally speaking, a podcast is an audio file that is then uploaded to a media host.  Podcasts also typically have a home--like a website--that you can send your listeners to for show notes, resources, etc.  Lastly, they are available to be openly distributed across a variety of platforms and apps. So, if you’re new to podcasting or curious about how a podcast differs from other forms of media, this is the show for you.