When I took audio and visual in high school, I never knew I’d be using what I’ve learned to create a podcast.
On August 2015, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and start my own podcast – Clear to Send. It was my way to learn about enterprise Wi-Fi while educating others.
6 years later, I’ve learned so much from podcasting. I’ve grown as a professional and learned a thing or two on running your own podcast. Here are my quick tips for starting your own podcast.
Publish Consistently
Based on my observations of other podcasters and from my own experience, consistency is very important. Listeners need to know when a new episode is published. It should be the same day and time on the interval of your choosing. Whether that’s daily, weekly, every other week, monthly. Set those expectations from the start. Maintain that podcasting consistency and you’ll build an audience. If you ever need to change your podcast publishing interval, all you need to do is share that with the listeners. They will understand.
Plan Ahead
To publish consistently, you need to create a publishing calendar. Outline which topics will be covered for each episode. Once you have an idea of what each episode is about, you can begin any research and planning required to record the episode. For the Clear To Send podcast, we had to do our own Wi-Fi testing prior to recording. Sometimes that meant acquiring a particular access point to test a feature. Consider those lead times and the amount of your time required to test.
Niche Down
Focusing your podcast to a specific subject will garner a directed audience. These listeners are in search of something specific or their passions revolve around the topic. For example, Clear To Send podcast discusses only about Wi-Fi. Our listeners expect to hear our thoughts and expertise around Wi-Fi. If we were to change topics and record an episode about vintage clothing, we may lose many listeners who don’t care for the topic. Listeners won’t hang around for the full episodes and you’ll confuse audiences on what your expertise is in.
Tackle User Problems
A quick way to get ears on your podcast is to address very specific problems listeners are searching answers for. One of Clear To Send’s most downloaded episode is about the 4-Way Handshake. Thousands of IT people wanted to learn about it. With Search Engine Optimization, those people landed on our podcast episode.
Record Good Audio From the Start
A podcast needs to have exceptional audio. Listeners need to be able to understand what you’re saying. You’ll want to eliminate any background noise before recording. Your environment matters. You don’t need the best microphone money can buy. Clear To Send started with a handheld Audio Technica ATR-2100 (affiliate) microphone. To this day I still use that microphone.
Provide An Action for Listeners
You’ve managed to get listeners for your podcast. Give them an action item that can help boost your podcast. Tell them to share the episode if they found value. Ask them to join your email list. Get a review or have them leave a comment on the show notes. Get engagement from the community you’re building and interact with them. They’ve taken time out of their day to listen to you. Make it a two-way conversation.