“I think podcasting hasn’t been set up in the most user friendly way – but the fact that they [podcasts] are still popular – despite how broken the system is, shows how well-liked sound online can and should be.” – Alexander Ljung, Founder & CEO of SoundCloud talking to The Telegraph
iTunes dominates the game… And there is currently no other podcasting system out there that provides the level of experience, content, and networking podcast listeners and consumers demand.
In the meantime podcatchers and sophisticated audio-sharing services from all over the world are desperately trying to gain market shares and increase their audience. Quite a battle going on behind the scenes, hence the term “broken” podcasting system aka podcast distribution system.
Let’s change perspectives.
What if you’re a podcast producer? What podcasting system(s) do you have in place to support your growth? Do you have a checklist for creating and publishing a podcast?
RELATED: 5 Reasons Why Podcasting Is Important to Your Business
To help you set up your own podcasting system (this applies to podcast producers), I decided to share one of my checklists with you as it has helped me effectively filter relevant topics, increase productivity and publish shows faster.
See what this checklist can do for you.
Adjust This Podcasting System As Your Business Evolves
The following easy-to-follow podcasting system includes three simple steps:
- Step 1: CREATE
- Step 2: RECORD
- Step 3: PUBLISH & PROMOTE
Let’s have a detailed look at each of these three phases.
Step 1. CREATE
1. Pick a keyword and create a click-worthy headline.
Coming up with a compelling headline is very important. But what if you’ve run out of ideas?
Use BuzzSumo. Simply type in your chosen keyword and let the tool display the most shared content for that particular keyword based on the top 5 social media channels Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus and Pinterest.
2. Start your podcast with a catchy opening phrase.
No matter whether you’re prepping for an interview session or you’re simply recording your latest blog post, start your podcast (or your article) with a short punchy phrase. You can extract a sentence from a speech or interview. In case you’re recording your blog post, you can open up with an interesting quote or question.
3. Structure the content of your show.
Use bullet points to highlight key elements of the show. Divide the content into chunks. Think of Miller’s Law and the magical number seven.
According to cognitive psychologist and Princeton University professor George A. Miller, most people’s memory is limited to holding seven (plus or minus two) pieces of information. [Source: Encyclopædia Britannica]
So, please do yourself a huge favor and don’t go into 140 tools to master online marketing… unless you want to stop people’s mind at tool number #7 or annoy your entire audience.
4. Give yourself permission to post and answer questions.
Here are two questions I find very valuable. No matter what topic you talk about, or what niche, market, or industry you serve, you can always post these questions and provide helpful answers.
- Why Does This Matter?
- How Is This Relevant to You?
5. Always end with a call to action (CTA).
Include a strong ending with a call to action. Don’t ask your listeners to do ten things. Give them one thing to do. Only ONE.
Be very specific. The more specific and clear your question is, the better. Remember, a confused mind does nothing.
Step 2. RECORD
1. Pick a quiet room or record during quiet hours.
If you’re working from home and you have kids running around the house, you’ll need to schedule your recordings accordingly. Same applies if you’re living in a noisy area.
2. Import your intro and outro music before or after the recording.
If you prefer to hit the record button and work with an empty audio stream, fine. Do the importing after you finished recording. Otherwise import first, and do the recording afterwards. Both ways are effective. Just don’t jump from recording to importing and recording again as you’re losing momentum and wasting time.
3. Record small parts and edit. Practice editing.
Editing can be brutal, especially if you’re just starting out and haven’t taken the time to get to know the in and outs of your editing software better.
So, before you go into a 45-60 minutes recording and leave editing at the end, I suggest you record 5-10 minutes and do the editing immediately. This allows you to be more flexible with your content.
Step 3. PUBLISH & PROMOTE
1. Upload media files and publish.
Blubrry, Libsyn, SoundCloud, Podomatic…. you name it. There are a ton of places where you can host your podcast.
If you want find out why it’s important to host your media files with a professional podcast hosting provider, read my blog on Powerful Podcasting Tools.
2. Promote your show both online AND offline.
Yes, that’s not a typo. Promote your podcast show offline. When you attend seminars, conferences or workshop talk to people about your show. Do you like to go to fairs or visit trade shows? Excellent opportunity to meet like-minded folks and promote your podcast.
Obviously, you should distribute and promote your podcast show across different online channels as well: write a Facebook post, send out tweets, promote your show on LinkedIn, write a press release etc.
Wrapping It Up
This is a simple podcasting system to follow.
It is based on a checklist that includes the vital parts of creating, recording, publishing and promoting. By no means is this an exhaustive overview, nor can it address the complexity of issues surrounding editing, hosting and distribution.
Use this list to your advantage and make the necessary changes as you go. When it comes to podcasting, nothing beats experience.
What would you add to this podcasting system?
