Posts tagged: Content Creation

There are a lot of reasons to start a podcast. You can reach a new audience, share your expertise, and build relationships with listeners. However, there are actually two very good reasons why you should not start one. In this blog post, we will outline these reasons and suggest what you can do instead to grow your business.

Reason # 1: To make money or sales quickly.

If you’re looking to make quick money or drive short term sales for your business a podcast is not right for you. It takes time to build an audience, and even longer to generate revenue. There are many opportunities or options to monetize in podcasting but none of them are easy. Instead of focusing on quick money or quick sales, focus on how you can build trust with your audience and a develop a deep, long term relationship with your potential customers. But know podcasting is a long game and it takes time to build an engaged following.

Reason # 2: Because a celebrity or influencer is “killin’ it” aka very successful in a particular category, topic or format.

Starting a podcast because you think you can replicate or get some of the success a celebrity or an influencer is experiencing is a recipe for unmet expectations. You will likely be disappointed with the podcast’s performance and ultimately quit because before you’ve started you’ve locked yourself into a comparison loop. measuring and comparing yourself to what they do or are able to achieve. 

Instead of starting a podcast a podcast based on the success of a celebrity or influencer, do your research and look for opportunities where your expertise or interests intersect with that of your target audience and create the content that they want. To have an engage audience you need to create a podcast that puts the audience first by creating content that they want to hear and you can deliver.

The takeaway

There are good reasons to start a podcast but making quick money, quick sales or copying celebrities are not good reasons to start a podcast. Instead, focus on creating content that is valuable to your target audience and provides them with information or entertainment they can’t find elsewhere.

Interested in starting a podcast? Check out this 30 minute mini course.

The world of podcasting is constantly evolving. Just a few years ago, it was considered a medium for hobbyists and amateurs. But in recent years, the landscape has changed dramatically, and podcasts have become one of the most popular forms of content on the internet.

If you’re reading this, then you’re considering starting a podcast and may still be on the fence about starting a podcast.  Maybe you’re thinking,

“Is it really time to start a podcast? Why should I start a podcast now? The market is saturated, there’s no new topic to explore.”

But you’re probably thinking of it anyway because despite what you may have heard, podcasting is still a viable option for businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals who want to share their message with the world. In this article, I will share 5 reasons why starting a podcast is still a good idea.

5 Reasons

Reason # 1: The barrier to entry is low.

Podcasts may be everywhere and more media companies, corporations and celebrities maybe getting into the industry but the barrier to entry is still low. Compared to other forms of content such as video, starting a podcast doesn’t require much investment on equipment. You’ll need a microphone, some accessories, recording software, editing software and an internet connection. You can start out with a very basic setup and grow your podcasting gear over time.

Reason # 2: Connect with Customers and Clients

One of the most important reasons to start a podcast is that it gives you a way to connect with customers, clients and prospects in an intimate way. The trick here is not to make your podcast an hour long infomercial about your company, products and services. People listen to podcasts that are interesting and create value, they don’t want to be constantly sold to.

Reason # 3: Tell stories important to your community. 

Podcasting is a great way to create content for underserved communities, shed light on issues affecting a community.  You can also use podcasting as a way to amplify the work of people in your community. In my case I started my podcast, because back on 2015 there were many podcast talking about the experience of Caribbean immigrants.

Reason #4: It’s a great form of creative outlet.

I’ve learned that many successful entrepreneurs and business owners have a creative outlet that allows them to process their thoughts, share ideas connect with others on their show and feel fulfilled.  Podcasting is a great format if you want to build an audience while sharing your journey and message in an authentic way.

Reason #5: It’s a great way to learn and help others learn.

As a podcast host, I’ve learned a lot from my guests who are experts on various topics or just by them sharing their life stories. I’ve also had people reach out to me and tell me that they were able to take an action or apply something they learned from my show. 

The takeaway

People are fascinated with stories. Since the beginning of time, humans have been sharing their experiences and stories with others. By starting a podcast you can tell stories that your audience will find fascinating and educational at the same time. Whatever the reason you choose to start a podcast, make sure that you connect with the audience first to validate your idea. Yes, there are millions of Americans who listen to podcasts each month and that number is steadily increasing. However the key is to remember people listens to and tell others about shows they can relate to, find interesting and shows they love.

erested in starting a podcast? Check out this 30 minute mini course.

Growing Podcast Listenership

Discoverability and growing podcast listenership are top priorities for podcasts and rightfully so. With the growing number of podcasts, how can podcasts stand out or find more listeners (and get more downloads)?

A dedicated website for podcasters is highly recommended and important in the reaching a wider audience.

With a website and a blog you:

• Increase the chances of people finding your show,
• Provide your audience with more content outside of the podcast and
• Are able to promote products, services and more to your listeners.

I recently appeared on episode 13 of Blk Pod Collective: The Podcast where I explain how blogging can be used as a way to increase podcast listenership.

Blk Pod Collective: The Podcast is a podcast for podcasters, that provides insights, resources and instruction to those looking for guidance in starting, growing and sustaining their podcast. Take a listen.

Resources Mentioned in the episode:

Google Analytics – A free tool that gives you insight on your website traffic. Google Analytics allows you to analyze in-depth detail about the visitors that come to your website. This includes the most popular content on your website. This information can be used to help you send trends and create content that can help with increasing podcast listenership.

Google Search Console – Another free tool that can be used to track your site’s search performance within Google. It will also give you alerts if there’s any index issues that Google is having with your site. Google Search Console gives you insight into some of the searches your website ranks high for. Meaning the searches that were used that led visitors/traffic to your website. This is also valuable insight on the type of content that listeners and potential listeners are interested in which can lead to increased podcast awareness and listenership.

Yoast – This is a WordPress plugin that is used to help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It operates with SEO best practices and shows you real time the SEO grade of your post.

As a niche indie podcast producer distribution and discoverability is key but at the same time we don’t want to confuse our audience. When promoting shows the best to offer options but keep it simple.

For Caribbean Content Creators considering podcasts, it’s important to diversify our content and categories we produce podcasts in.

I am frequently asked questions about podcasts and how I got my start. Here I share my lessons learned and answer questions.