Pokemon-mania and Facebook Live may be the summer craze; but podcasting is here to stay as one of the best tools to build reputation and following. In April 2016, 21% of the Americans listened to a podcast.
This percentage keeps growing. And so does the number of podcasts. Everybody can make one nowadays. There are hundreds of thousands of podcasts on iTunes covering everything from cooking to politics. But only a few are successful. Those are professionally made, interesting and well promoted.
Follow the guidelines presented in this article and you will be able to create a compelling podcast, which will reflect in the number of your readers and book sales.
To podcast or not to podcast?
There are other benefits to podcasting besides getting more readers.
Podcast can help non-fiction authors establish and strengthen their expert positioning, increase awareness and grow their business.
Podcasts are also a great way to expand a professional network, if you choose to interview other people. Guests may also promote your podcast to their followers and you can get new followers.
.If you write fiction, you can use podcasts to bond with your readers. You can read excerpts from your books or use the podcast as a teaser for your upcoming novels.
You could impersonate one of your main characters, take questions from your fans, or talk about the major themes of your book, as Elizabeth Gilbert does.
With a bit of creativity, a podcast can be a great addition to your marketing tool kit. Please only podcast if you enjoy speaking and telling stories out loud.
Ok, I want to podcast. What next?
Decide on a topic. It should be something you are passionate about. If you are a non-fiction author, decide which area of expertise you want to associate yourself with and build your podcast around this topic.
Focusing on a niche market is a good idea. For instance, love is a broad topic, relationships narrower, young adult relationships even more niche and relationship problems for young adults a very tight niche.
If you write fiction, pay attention to things your readers may also be interested in. You could find ideas in the comments and messages you see online. Think about what will be of interest to current and potential readers.
Either way, social media and discussion sites such as Reddit or Quora are a great place for spotting trending topics.
Know your audience. Identify your average listener’s interests, likes, dislikes and create an avatar. Try to be as specific as possible. You can use Google Analytics, a free tool that you need to integrate into your website. The “Demographics” tab helps you to examine your audience makeup. If you have a Facebook Page, check the insights tool for demographic information about your fans.
Choose your format. You can have a magazine type podcast with different features, parts of the podcast, or you can have it as a one conversation, a monologue. You could interview other people or you could interview yourself.
Make an editorial plan. Plan ahead for a series of episodes. Launch the podcast when you have the first three ready. You could decide to release a new episode every week, although two episodes a month is enough for a beginner.
Make a list of potential guests to interview (if you decide on this format). They should be relevant to your audience and the industry you are in. Don't aim to interview Tony Robins, if you are in the self-development industry. Start with less known experts, who are in a growth phase, as you are.
They will be thankful and willing to offer their support when you need it.
Make a promotional plan. All your efforts will be wasted if you don’t promote your podcast.
Have a schedule of episode release dates and promote each of them. Use your social media channels and even consider advertising with BooksGoSocial. A survey conducted by Clammr Social Audio Discover, revealed that social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter generate 81% of podcast listener growth.
Prepare your artwork, the podcast descriptions (really important – test them first), your logo, your short bio and your head shot. Please ensure you get a short bio and official picture of your guests as well.
Record and produce. If you don't have the habit of speaking into the microphone, rehearse in advance. Nobody says you have to be a professional radio host, yet your voice should be loud and clear, your words and phrases easy to understand. Use short sentences and apply one of the golden secret rules in radio: smile when you talk. Your voice will sound different.
We will run you through the technical aspects a bit later in the next post.
A checklist of things to get right:
- After your podcast is recorded, edit it before you upload it online, as you would do for a book.
- Make sure it sounds professional. Make sure the volume is correct during the duration of the episode.
- Make sure your are positive about your guests.
- The recommended duration of a podcast is between 10 and 30 minutes. There are longer podcasts out there but it is hard to provide a one hour high quality content. Our attention span these days, as you know, is low.
Need some help to get started?
A.G. Billig, a best-selling author, teaches you create your podcast from scratch. She has +6 year experience as a radio host and producer. She is also the co-host and producer of booksgosocial.com podcast, The Seducative Writers' Diary – 21st Century Digital Marketing Techniques For Bestselling Authors
Don't miss out on our third low-cost & high-value online course – A Master Class in Creating Podcasts That Sell Books – is now available at a low launch price with an 84% discount! To see the details click here.
A.G. Billig is also offering one-to-one coaching for audio podcasts creation and promotion, as well as audio podcasting production services. For a personalized offer, please contact her on e-mail, at contact@agbillig.com.
