If you’ve been online for a minute, you have likely heard about podcasting. It’s something that many marketers are using as a new avenue to reach new followers and customers.
What is a Podcast?
According to John Lee Dumas, the founder of the leading entrepreneur podcast, EOFire, “a podcast is an “on demand” audio file that can be streamed or downloaded from the Internet”.
Similar to a video that you can watch on YouTube, a podcast features audio only. It’s a great way to learn from the internet’s leading marketers when you don’t have time to pull up a read a blog post or ebook.
The most successful podcasters develop multiple episodes on a regular basis. Subscribers are notified when a new episode is live so they don’t miss any of the helpful information that is shared.
You can subscribe to podcasts with iTunes, Soundcloud, and Google Play Music. These allow you to access the podcasts anytime you want from your mobile device!
Are Podcasts Beneficial to Online Business?
Marketers today recommend podcasts as a viable way to generate leads and traffic online for a number of reasons.
They are easy to access. Thanks to smartphones, you can quickly and easily download and enjoy a podcast from your favorite marketer at any time, day or night.- Great for busy followers. Podcasts can be listened to in the car, on the subway, during soccer practice, in the school pick up line, or even in the bathroom while your listener soaks in the tub! Podcasts offer the benefits of multitasking that written content or even video content cannot supply.
- Yet another traffic stream. Starting a podcast for your business may allow you to tap into traffic you may not otherwise be able to acquire. If you only write text-based blog posts, you won’t attract the busy people that can only listen to audio files when they go about their crazy hectic days.
- Develop trust and authority. By sharing your expertise in your weekly podcasts, you can create trust with your listeners. When you recommend products and services during your shows, people are more likely to purchase because you have set them up to know, like, and trust you and your opinion!
- Keeps your business fresh. Since your listeners will tune in each week for a new podcast episode, you and your products will always be fresh in their minds. When they decide they need to learn more about the niche you specialize in, they will turn to you for the in-depth training. They may also begin to recommend your podcast to their colleagues and friends seeking the same information.
How to Start a Podcast
Your Topic
Before you actually start a new podcast, you want to decide what it will be about. It’s important that you choose a topic you can cover in many episodes, as podcasting is a long-term growth strategy for your business. Also, you want to choose something you are passionate about, so you won’t be sick of talking about it over 6 to 12 months!
Your Avatar
Determine the ideal listener for your podcast. This will be the person you speak directly to with each episode you create. Base your future episodes on the wants and needs of this avatar, to ensure you stay relevant and beneficial to all of your listeners.
Your Equipment
To start podcasting, you don’t need a ton of equipment. You will want a computer and microphone, just to develop a quality, clear podcast that your listeners can hear and enjoy.
You will also need editing and recording software such as Audacity, which works for both PCs and Macs. If you use a Mac, you can also use the free app, GarageBand, which comes pre-installed on your device!
With all of that said, it’s time to start your podcast! This is a quick tutorial, in a nutshell…
Record your first episodes using the microphone and recording software on your computer.
Edit your files to ensure the quality is good.
Upload each episode to a host such as Podcast Websites.
Publish your episode, and then submit your podcast to the directories. This last step only needs to be done once, as your future episodes will automatically be sent to the directories once you publish them!
For more information on podcasting, see John’s extensive how to guide: https://www.eofire.com/how-to-podcast/
