6 Podcast Marketing Tips [+10 Reasons For Starting A Podcast]

Learn 10 reasons for starting a podcast, how to start a podcast for free, ways to start a podcast, plus podcast marketing and podcast promotion tips.

Podcast marketing is on a roll with many companies releasing audio content to build trust, connect with their audience on a personal level, and boost brand awareness.

However, podcasting isn’t new. It has its roots in the 1960s when radio shows like ‘Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, ABC Radio’s Theater Five’ and others were aired in the U.S.

Many of these radio programs were canceled by the end of the 1980s, but the digital audio revolution had made its mark and digital audio content was here to stay.

By the 1990s, digital audio in CDs and DVDs gradually replaced analog cassettes and vinyl records. After a decade, the popularity of mp3 files further disrupted the audio industry.

Podcasts emerged in 2003, in the form of audio stories that were delivered directly to iPods, hence the name, ‘podcast’ = iPod + Broadcast.

What Is A Podcast?

Podcasts are audio programs or spoken word broadcasts delivered through podcast networks or channels. They aim to provide the audience with useful and actionable information in an engaging and conversational format.

Podcasts are both effective and convenient, as the listener can multitask and play them in the background while commuting, doing chores at home, or relaxing in bed.

Podcasts can be delivered individually, or as a series, depending on the topic, and the needs of the audience.

Podcast Statistics You Should Know

In 2006, only 22% of US citizens knew what podcasts were. Today about 70% of them are aware of podcasts and their benefits. According to TechCrunch, there will be a 27% increase in podcast production, equivalent to 29 million episodes, in 2020.

Further, Spotify is likely to outdo its competitor, Apple, in the popularity game, as only 20% of the millennials and Gen Z population listen to Apple music, while 46% of them listen to Spotify, according to a study by The Podcast Host.

However, many new platforms will be distributing audio content this year, so you can expect competition to increase. So, if you’re planning to make money with podcasting, there’s no better time to start one.

10 Reasons For Starting A Podcast

Why start a podcast? Should I start a podcast? What are the best reasons to start a podcast?

If you’re wondering whether you should start a podcast, here are 10 reasons why you should leverage podcasts to grow your business.

1. Ease of production

Creating a podcast is easier than producing a video. All you need to do is speak on a certain topic and record it with the help of podcasting software to minimise noise and enhance the audio quality.

Podcast editing is also much easier than editing videos. You’ll need an intro and outro to start and end your podcast. There are a number of podcasting tools that will make it easy to do this.

2. Low entry costs

Another advantage of podcasting is the low entry cost, as compared to video production. All you need to do is download a free podcasting app and you can start recording your first show.

You don’t even need expensive audio equipment as Smartphone audio recorders will give you good enough audio quality that you can clean up with the help of the podcasting app.

Once you become a professional podcaster, you can create a high-end podcast studio, with all the bells and whistles, but by no means do you need it to get started.

3. Language is no barrier

You don’t need to learn English to start a podcast.  It’s easy to create a podcast in any language, so go ahead and record your podcast in your native language.

According to a KPMG study, Indian language internet users are set to reach 536 million people by 2021. As of June 2019, PWC estimates the Indian podcast listener base was at 40 million by end of 2018, a 58% rise from the year before.

India is now the third-largest market for spoken-word audio such as podcasts and most Indians who listen to podcasts do so on their phone. A vernacular podcast has more chance of success as it has much less competition than English language podcasts.

4. Repurpose your blog and video content as audio

If you have a blog and YouTube channel, you can repurpose your existing blog and video content into audio to create a podcast. This will allow you to reuse your existing content to reach listeners who prefer audio over video and text.

5. Less competition than blogging and YouTube

Blogging and YouTube marketing are both reaching saturation with over 10 million blog posts published every day and more than 500 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute.

Podcasting is still relatively new as compared to blogging or video marketing, so the competition is not as fierce and it’s still possible to get found by your listeners.

6. Easier to grow a following as a podcaster

Because of less competition and the fact that those who listen to podcasts can’t get enough of them, you’ll find it easier to grow a following as a podcaster.

If you choose a good niche and put out great content consistently, you shouldn’t find it hard to build a loyal following.

7. Successful podcasters make millions of dollars a year

John Lee Dumas generates over 100k a month from his Entrepreneurs On Fire podcast and the Podcaster’s Paradise community for podcasters.

Sign up for his Free Podcast Masterclass and Free Podcast Course in which he’ll share the lessons from years of hosting a top-ranked podcast and teach you how to create and launch your podcast.

Of course, these guys have been at it for years, painstakingly building and nurturing an audience. If you intend to make a full-time income from podcasting, you’re going to have to work at it and treat your podcast as a business.

8. Build connections by interviewing influential guests

One of my favourite advantages of starting a podcast is that it allows you to connect with and build relationships with very influential people who might otherwise not have given you the time of day.

I’ve managed to build a relationship with a number of influencers and well-known personalities through my podcasts, even though I don’t have hundreds of subscribers yet.

Interviewing influencers on your podcasts will give your followers a glimpse into the mind of their favourite influencer and help you get more subscribers and downloads, too.

9. Showcase your public speaking skills

One of the best ways to promote yourself as a speaker is to start a YouTube channel. The next best way is to start a podcast. If you’re serious about a public speaking career, ideally you should have both.

A video channel and podcast will help you showcase your public speaking skills in front of meeting and event planners who need to ensure that you’re a good choice when they invite you to speak at their conferences and events.

10. Build authority links back to your website

When you start your own podcast it’s very likely that you’ll get invited to speak on other podcasts too. Every time you land an interview on a podcast, your host will link back to your website and landing pages in the show notes.

Podcast interviews are one of the best ways to get lots of relevant, authority links pointing back to your website because there’s no cost involved.

All you have to do is spend some time sharing your insights with the audiences of other podcasters.  In exchange, you’ll land a high-value link to boost your search rankings and get more exposure for your brand.

How To Start A Podcast

So, how do I start a podcast? There are a number of things to know before starting a podcast, such as what you need to start a podcast – in terms of equipment to start a podcast and apps to start podcasts.

Like any aspect of marketing, learning how to make a podcast is something you have to invest time and effort in, to get good at. You need to design your podcast artwork and create the intro and outro.

Should you spend money on podcast hosting or download the many podcasting apps in India that offer free podcast hosting? These ‘starting a podcast’ tips will show you what to know about starting a podcast and what you need to start a podcast.

How to record a podcast

When learning how to do a podcast, just remember that you don’t need a full-fledged podcast studio to record your audio and edit it before publishing. You can do that in a quiet corner of your home, with the only requirements being your Smartphone and podcast recording app.

If you want better audio quality, you can invest in some inexpensive audio recording equipment that helps you remove the background noise going from you to other call participants or coming from the call participants to you.

You can use a free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder like Audacity, to edit your podcast.

If you want to go professional, you can invest in some reasonably-priced professional podcast kits or podcast starter kits for beginners, which are several pieces of podcasting gear bundled into one product.

For example, check out this MAONO A04H Professional USB Condenser USB Microphone Kit Plug & Play with Headphones Set that comes with a professional sound chipset.

With a good cardioid polar pickup pattern, high output, and low self-noise function, the microphone can accurately reproduce even the most subtle sound.

The new version provides one more headphone to meet your multiple needs and is especially suitable for YouTube, live streaming, studios, recording, podcasting, or gaming.

Free Podcasting Platforms In India

Wondering where to upload podcasts, download podcast apps, and start a podcast for free? Today there are many ways to start a podcast for free and you can download both paid and free apps to start a podcast.

These free podcasting platforms in India have you covered.

• Hubhopper Studio lets you create your podcast in under 7 minutes with free hosting, free recording, and free editing. If you host your podcast on another platform, you can import your existing podcast here.
• Suno India is one of the best multilingual podcast-hosting sites in India. A great option if you’re podcasting in your native tongue.
• Aawaz is an Indian podcasting app and the ideal platform for Hindi podcasters.
• Headfone is another great platform for Indian podcasters to host their podcasts.

6 Podcast Marketing Tips To Grow & Monetize Your Podcast

As with any form of content, you need to spend 20% of your time creating it and 80% marketing it. Podcast marketing is no different. Here are 6 podcast promotion tips to help you promote your podcast and monetize it.

#1. Create a podcast website or page

Create a separate website or landing page on your existing website to showcase your podcast like I have done for my Creating Brand YOU podcast.

If you have an English podcast, you can use a transcription service like Otter to create a transcript of each episode for those who prefer to read. This will also give Google some text to index.

Don’t forget to add sharing buttons to make it easy for your audience to share your podcasts on their social media profiles or with their friends, and family members via messaging apps.

Give away a freebie or lead magnet to capture the email addresses of visitors so you can follow up with them and let them know when you post new podcast episodes.

#2. Promote your podcast on social media

Promote your podcasts on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Many podcast hosts will automate this process for you and even upload a video version of your podcast to YouTube using your artwork and audio.

#3. Track your podcast metrics

If you want to improve the reach of your podcast, you need to understand your podcast analytics. What you don’t track, you can’t improve.

Track your downloads and find out what sort of content does better than others. Do your listeners prefer specific topics or longer content? Do they like some guests more than others? Invite them back on another episode.

#4. Don’t ask for reviews (what?)

While conventional wisdom dictates that you ask your audience to rate and review your podcast, I tend to prefer Tim Paige’s advice where he recommends using your precious podcast Call To Action (CTA) for more high-impact purposes and saving the review request for the P.S. in your welcome email to subscribers.

#5. Submit to podcast directories

Most podcasting hosts will automatically submit your podcast to Spotify and other podcast directories. Once you have at least three episodes of your podcast uploaded to your podcast hosting website, review all the requirements for Apple Podcasts and submit your show to them.

#6. Monetize your podcast

If you’re looking to monetize your podcast with ads, you’ll need a few thousand subscribers before you get any interest from sponsoring agencies.

But, if you use your CTA to promote your own freebies and products, you don’t have to depend on advertising to monetize your podcast and can start doing it from the very first episode.

Before you start your podcast, download podcast apps and subscribe to a few top podcasts to learn exactly what the Pros do that make them so popular.

Of course, you can always watch free podcast tutorials to learn how to create a podcast and get podcast promotion tips, but nothing beats investing in your education and learning from professionals to cut your learning curve.

There’s no time like the present to start a podcast, whether you want to use it to build your speaker profile, create relationships with influencers, or sell your products and services.

Podcasting is the low-hanging fruit that any entrepreneur, coach, or consultant can benefit from. Get started with your podcast today.

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© 2020 – 2022, Priya Florence Shah. All rights reserved.