Create your own podcast

Businesses now have to consider a great deal to impress and stand out in a demanding modern setting. Blogs are a business staple at this stage, and YouTube channels are pretty vital. As we’re going to discuss here, podcasts also play their part in modern business marketing.

As well as providing in-depth and specialist information, a podcast allows you to offer accessible on-the-go content for audiences of all shapes and sizes. With 39% of SMBs admitting to listening to podcasts, this is ideal for building business to business (B2B) interactions. Keeping things general for a broad audience can also build widespread brand recognition.

The trouble is that you probably have no real idea of how to create a podcast. You’re a business owner, after all, not a radio presenter. Luckily, making a podcast with power is easier than you might anticipate. All you need to do is settle on a niche, then consider the following to make this modern marketing method work for you.

Write a script

Once you know your niche, it’s time to write a script that’s in keeping. There’s no such thing as ‘winging it’ where podcast creation is concerned, and attempting to record without scripting first is never going to lead to cohesive results. As such, you need to script every single episode before you start recording.

You might find it useful to come up with a general keyword or topic for each episode when you start planning a series. Then, you can develop a script around each of these ready for creation moving forward. Bear in mind that this doesn’t need to be set in stone or learnt by heart. You should see scripts more as a way to structure your episodes and keep them on track.

Instead of spending hours on each script, then, add efficiency to this process by simply using this as a way to outline. Bear in mind that each episode of your podcast needs a narrative to succeed, so focus on a beginning, a middle, and an end. Write down leading questions that can keep that narrative moving forward, or write down time stamps for each section. Either way; script to keep your podcast on the straight and narrow.

Consider recording

Just as filming is vital to video marketing, recording your podcast to a high standard is essential if you want it to reach high numbers of listeners. In most cases, a potential audience will click off your podcast page straight away if your recording is fuzzy or your background noisy.

The first step towards successful recording should be your equipment itself. Obviously, you want this to be a cost-effective marketing method, so spending a fortune on top-quality microphones isn’t the best option. That said, you shouldn’t record on your phone if you want to make a success of your efforts. A simple USB microphone is relatively cheap to buy, yet it can provide a high level of sound quality.

Other than that, think about setting. Admittedly, there are benefits to filming in an office setting if you’re focusing your podcast around that, but background noise brings plenty of downsides. Instead, then, consider recording in either a private office within your business setting or somewhere else entirely. You may find it beneficial to hire a private office to make sure there’s no background noise at all, or even record in an empty house. This will help to focus listener attention and ensure that your recordings are the best quality possible.

Edit

As with any content creation, success lies largely in the editing. This is especially true with methods like video and podcast content, which rely on editing to create cohesive messages and cut out all the unnecessary stuff. The fact is that, even with a script, going off-topic or saying ‘uhm’ a lot is guaranteed to happen. Admittedly, even these can have their plus points. Going off-topic can lead to some of the best revelations, while hesitancy can create relatability. But, leaving every instance of these in your podcast will leave it long and pretty difficult to listen to.

Instead, editing can help you to create that narrative we spoke about in as crisp a manner as possible. And, that can increase both your listenership and efficiency. But, how does one edit a podcast?

Admittedly, this isn’t a widespread skill, but it isn’t dissimilar to editing videos, simply without visual footage. The first step to podcast editing is, of course, to import files onto your computer of choice. You may also want to import audio files into an encrypted cloud network so people across your business can access them when they need to.

Once you’ve imported, it’s time to consider your editing software. As with video, there are a few different options here, and they each offer varying benefits. Some of the programs and their niches include -

  • Alitu - great for those who want non-technical editing
  • GarageBand - for podcast editors of all skills working from Mac
  • Adobe Audition - for more advanced editing knowledge
  • Audacity - for free use to keep costs down

Find a hosting provider

Once you have a finished podcast on your hands, you need to consider how to get it out into the world. To do this, you must select a podcast hosting platform. These provide both file hosting and RRS feed necessary for your podcast. They also send your episodes directly to listeners, so they never miss an upload. In many cases, you can also embed a player from your chosen host directly to your website.

Again, there are many different hosts on the market, and they each offer very different benefits. As such research is your best bet at finding one with a price and services that suit your needs. Some names to look out for on your search include -

  • Buzzsprout
  • Transistor
  • And more

As simple as that, you can get your small business podcast out in the world and hopefully pulling a profit in no time at all.

NO minimum term
NO long term contracts