How to Become a Podcasting Master
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This document provides tips and best practices for creating and promoting a successful podcast. It discusses how the podcast listening audience is growing and valuable. Creating a podcast is easy and can be done with mobile apps or basic equipment. Key aspects of making a podcast successful include planning by brainstorming topics, choosing a format, and using tools to schedule recordings and track tasks. Promoting the podcast on search, social media, email and getting reviews is also covered.
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How to Become a Podcasting Master
- 1. How (and Why) to Become a Podcasting Master
- 2. Hello! My name is Kerry O’Shea Gorgone Lawyer, Podcaster, Speaker, Writer You can find me at: @KerryGorgone KerryGorgone.com MarketingProfs.com/podcasts
- 4. My first podcast… Baby Time podcast, 2005
- 5. Agenda Podcast listening audience Creating a podcast is easy Making a podcast successful (best practices)
- 9. What is Podcasting? On-demand radio! Subscribers receive notifications via RSS iTunes E-mail
- 10. Agenda Podcast listening audience Creating a podcast is easy Making a podcast successful (best practices)
- 11. 1. THE PODCAST LISTENING AUDIENCE is GROWING, VALUABLE, and MEASURABLE
- 13. Source:
- 14. 89,000,000 33% of Americans? That’s 89 million people! Source:
- 16. Source:
- 17. Why Podcast?
- 18. Why Podcast? Podcasting can build brand awareness and improve sentiment
- 19. Why Podcast? You can reimagine podcast content
- 20. Podcasting drives conversions Go beyond basic podcast metrics (downloads)
- 21. Podcasting drives traffic Monitor website analytics
- 22. Podcasting can drive sales Track URLs and codes, and compare coupon codes offered and redeemed
- 23. Agenda Podcast listening audience Creating a podcast is easy Making a podcast successful (best practices)
- 24. 2. CREATING A PODCAST is EASY
- 25. All you really need is a mobile app
- 26. iPhone app for podcasting Boss Jock Studio bossjockstudio.com
- 27. Android (and iOS) app for podcasting Spreaker Studio spreaker.com
- 28. Or get some equipment for higher sound quality
- 29. Podcasting Software Camtasia (Mac/Windows) Software for recording and editing audio and video Audacity (Mac/Windows) Free audio editing software Audio Hijack (Mac) Capture audio from the other side of a Skype call
- 30. Place your screenshot here It looks intimidating… But Camtasia is surprisingly user-friendly!
- 34. Hosting Your Podcast Some hosting options to consider:
- 35. How to Post your Podcast Podcast plugin (WordPress, Blbrry, Libsyn, etc.)
- 36. Your moment of zen…
- 37. Agenda Podcast listening audience Creating a podcast is easy Making a podcast successful (best practices)
- 38. 3. You can make your podcast successful through PLANNING and PROMOTION
- 40. Your Goals What Audience Needs What You Care About (a lot) Your Ideal Topic Consider your audience
- 41. Podcasts with great topics
- 42. Podcasts with great topics
- 43. Podcasts with great topics
- 44. Podcasts with great topics
- 46. What’s your topic? What could YOU talk about that would get people excited for each new episode?
- 47. Your Goals What Audience Needs What You Care About (a lot) Your Ideal Topic Let’s practice!
- 48. Plan and prepare
- 49. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. ~ Abraham Lincoln
- 50. Choose a format One-man show 10- to 20-minute episodes Two-man show 30- to 40-minute episodes Interview show 30-minute episodes Interview show 45- to 50-minute episodes
- 51. Know what you can handle. You don’t want to burn out!
- 52. Kittens make people happy. Podcasting should make YOU happy.
- 53. Podcasting is like cooking: It goes more smoothly if you gather all the ingredients before you start!
- 54. Planning Tools Trello Track the status of your tasks on virtual pinboardd ScheduleOnce Enable guests to schedule interviews, and automate email follow-up Google Drive Create and share your production schedule or calendar
- 55. Trello – for project management
- 57. ScheduleOnce
- 58. Google Drive: Production Schedule
- 60. Recording: Best Practices Find a quiet room Silence your phone Turn off notifications Email people instructions
- 62. Promoting your Podcast Optimize for search
- 63. Promoting your Podcast Transcribe: It’s good for SEO!
- 64. Promoting your Podcast Use social media Create an image for each post!
- 65. Promoting your Podcast Use email
- 67. 15% of marketers currently podcast 100% of you can do it now! 30% of marketers have plans to start podcasting within 12 months
- 68. You can do this! Start podcasting!
- 69. Presentation Handout Download key takeaways
- 70. Thanks! Any questions? You can find me at: @KerryGorgone kerryg@marketingprofs.com
Editor's Notes
- Hello, my name is Kerry O’Shea Gorgone, and I develop marketing training programs for MarketingProfs.
- I currently host the Marketing Smarts podcast, a weekly interview series featuring smart marketers like Ann Handley, Chris Brogan, Gary Vaynerchuk, and executives from all kinds of organizations, from nonprofits to fortune 500 companies.
- I’ve been podcasting since 2005, when I hosted a pregnancy and parenting podcast called Baby Time. I wanted to try podcasting, but wasn’t sure I’d like it, so I gave myself an out: after 9 months, I could end the podcast, since I would no longer be pregnant! As it turned out, I loved it, and continued the show for several years, until my kids were old enough to have an opinion about it. Let me tell you, things have CHANGED for podcasters since 2005! We’ll talk about how podcasts are more popular than ever, and how easy it is for you to produce your own. You’ll learn how today.
- During this session, you’ll go from podcasting newbie to pro podcaster in no time flat! First, I’ll share some insight into the podcast listening audience, and how podcasting can be a valuable part of your marketing mix. Then, we’ll get into how you can produce a podcast (it’s easier than you think)! Finally, just when you’re so excited you want to jump off the webinar so you can start podcasting, we’ll cover some best practices for making your podcast successful.
- But first, one quick thing: Cision will provide you with a handout for this presentation that contains all the key points, so don’t worry about taking notes or missing anything! You’ve got this.
- Let’s talk about what podcasting can do for your business. If you could sit down for a half-hour chat with your ideal customer, would you? Absolutely.
- If you could talk with dozens of your ideal customers at once, would you make the time? You bet! So why aren't you podcasting?
- A "podcast" is essentially an on-demand radio (or video) show distributed through a feed, just like your blog posts. But does anyone actually listen to podcasts? YES they do!
- The podcast listening audience is GROWING, it is VALUABLE, and it is MEASURABLE. Let’s take a look at some recent findings from Edison Research about the podcast listening audience.
- First and foremost, the number of people who listen to podcasts is steadily growing!
- More people are listening to podcasts than ever. Since Edison started polling in 2006, the number of Americans who have listened to a podcast has tripled to 33%.
- Not too shabby, as far as marketing channels go.
- Second, the podcast listening audience is uniquely valuable to marketing and PR professionals, for a couple of reasons.
- Podcast listeners, on average, have higher household incomes AND are more active online. They’re also more likely to follow a brand on social media. This is a nice combination for marketing and PR professionals!
- Podcasting offers measurable business benefits
- Podcasting gives you a rare opportunity to connect with your audience and build a relationship with them. You can use this opportunity to build brand awareness and improve brand sentiment.
- Blog posts, infographics, sketch notes… the possibilities are endless! We posted sketch notes from several Marketing Smarts episodes to SlideShare and racked up thousands of views.
- Look at downloads, but also track conversions (micro and macro). Anything from clicking a link on your podcast landing page to downloading related content, registering for an event, or actually purchasing something.
- Monitor traffic to your podcast’s landing page. See how the bounce rate and time on site compares with your site’s other pages. Include an email sign-up option, event registration, or download—some call to action you can measure.
- Podcasting can even drive sales, so track URLs and offer codes.
- Now, you might be thinking "that's great, but podcasting is hard, and I'd need expensive equipment to do it.”
- Not so! Creating a podcast is EASY!
- You can record and publish a podcast using only an iPhone and an app.
- Bossjock Studio — Turns your iOS device into a studio, Costs $10
- Spreaker Studio — Turns your device into a studio, Cost: Free to record audio 30 minutes or less, but for longer podcasts, you’ll need a monthly plan. https://www.spreaker.com/plans
- Even achieving a “high end” podcast is easy with some relatively inexpensive software and a USB mic. (I use the Rode Podcaster ($229) but I’ve also used the Samson Meteor mic, which costs less than $100. On the road, I’ve used a Go Mic, which clips to your laptop and costs just $40. You might be able to get a away with a headset, but I’d recommend a microphone. It’s a small investment, and it vastly improves your sound quality! Speaking of sound, you need noise-cancelling headphones in order to record and edit podcasts. Earbuds won’t do the job! I use Sony Pro, but anything that cancels noise will work. You need to hear any background noises and audio blips! With your laptop, you can record, edit and upload high-quality audio or HD video from anywhere with an Internet connection.
- You have a number of options in terms of software. Some are free, others cost $100 to $300, and others have a monthly subscription option. But I’ll just tell you what I’ve used. For recording and editing, I use Camtasia. It’s fairly intuitive to use, and offers plenty of options for adding effects to your audio and video. It does cost money ($99 for Mac, $299 for Windows Camtasia Studio), but I like the versatility Camtasia offers. If you’re just starting out, you might try Audacity. It’s a free tool that also lets you record and edit high quality audio. It doesn’t do video though: just audio. Audio Hijack is a tool for recording system audio (like guest audio from Skype calls). Very handy, and costs just $49. I use it as a back-up in case there’s a problem with the guest track in Camtasia!
- I picked it up in no time flat, and routinely cut out any warm-up conversations, post-interview chats, and so on.
- These are the media files you use for the project. I record the introduction separate from the interview, so you can see that here. I also keep ad spots and other drop-ins separate, but you could have just a single media file.
- Camtasia puts your audio and the guest’s audio on separate tracks, which really helps with editing if there’s a noise on either end, like if the guest’s dog barks or you knock over a book!
- For conducting interviews with guests who aren’t right next to you, you’ll need a way to call people from your computer. Most people use Skype (although it’s far from perfect).
- One thing about podcasts: your audio or video files don’t “live” on iTunes! iTunes just picks up new episodes from your RSS feed. You have to host your files somewhere. I use Libsyn, but you could try blubrry, soundcloud or spreaker The most common file types for podcasts are mp3 or mp4. .
- Here’s how it works. You take your media file and host it somewhere (let’s say on Libsyn). You generate an RSS file. This RSS file feeds podcast providers like iTunes and Stitcher. You might publish directly from the hosting site, or you can publish on your existing website or blog. MarketingProfs does both!
- That’s a lot of technical-sounding stuff, so here’s a little sunshine and grass to help us find our smile again. I promise, podcasting is easy!
- Now, you might be thinking "that's great, but podcasting is hard, and I'd need expensive equipment to do it.”
- I hope at this point you're excited! Podcasting really is easy. But that doesn't mean you should whip out your phone and start podcasting right this second! Take some time to plan before you podcast! You CAN make your podcast successful through planning and promotion.
- This is the single most important part of podcasting: finding the right topic!
- Consider what your audience needs. What problems can you help them solve? What topics do they want more information about that relate to your industry? Find something you’re passionate about. (Podcasting is a big commitment: you’ll burn out unless you like the topic, too!) Set your goals and decide what you want to be known for. Like all your content, a podcast should serve your broader business goals. Do you want to be a thought leader in the marketing automation space? Do you want to become a recognized authority on the topic of crisis communication? What do you want out of this podcast? Your ideal podcast topic will meet all of these criteria.
- Here are some podcasts with irresistible topics, just to get our creative juices flowing. On Mortified, people talk about the embarrassing things they created as kids– diaries, letters, song lyrics & all kinds of things. It’s AMAZING.
- On Claim Your Fame, Drew Davis features people who are famous within their tiny niches, such as the YouTube star who posts videos about fancy folding. Like origami, but for mailings. She’s famous, among a very small group. His podcast will get you thinking about what your niche might be!
- Serial made podcasts much more mainstream! It covered an unsolved murder case, from beginning to end. 1.5 million people on average listened to each episode of Serial!
- StartUp follows veteran podcaster Alex Blumberg (from This American Life) and his partner as they seek funding and launch a new business. StartUp brought narrative storytelling to podcasts even before Serial. What topic could YOU talk about that would get people excited to tune in for each new episode?
- You might be thinking that these aren’t brand podcasts, but business can create fun, engaging podcasts, too! Check out Basecamp’s podcast, The Distance. It features businesses that have endured for at least 25 years, like The World’s Largest Laundromat, or the Ideal Box Company. Remember, podcasts are content, not sales material. The Distance is a great example of fun, interesting content that will interest Basecamp’s audience without turning them off by shilling.
- So what can you talk about that would get people excited for each new episode?
- Remember, your ideal topic will help you to meet your business goals, but will also be something you care about AND your audience needs!
- Once you’ve settled on a topic, plan each episode, and study up before you hit record!
- I love this quote from Abraham Lincoln: Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Quality is all about preparation. “Off-the-cuff” might work fine for an Instagram video, but a podcast requires advance planning.
- Early on on the planning process, decide on your format (the format informs process for preparing, producing, recording and editing) Do you want to do a one-man (or one-woman) show? An interview series? A panel discussion? Will it be bite-sized or super-sized? Streamline the process each time Mack Collier produces the Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show, a bite-sized one-man show that addresses topics relating to brand marketing and cultivating fans. The Marketing Companion is a two-man show, hosted by Tom Webster and Mark Schaefer. They’re always at the helm, and they do a longer show, 30 to 40 minutes each week. My interview series, Marketing Smarts, features Q&A with a different guest each week, and always comes in around 30 minutes. Another interview show, Nick Westergaard’s On Brand, lasts longer, anywhere from 45 to 50 minutes.
- The important thing is to know what you can handle. You don’t want to burn out! Choose a format that’s truly manageable for you.
- Podcasting should make you happy! If it doesn’t, you might be overdoing it!
- Whichever format you choose, before you fire up that iPhone or laptop, make sure you have all of your research and preparation done, talking points ready, bios close at hand. Gather any books you want to refer to, and have your intro/outro and any ad spots ready. Produce each episode a week in advance if you can. Stress rarely makes for a quality podcast!
- Tools like Trello and ScheduleOnce can help you to plan episode topics, book and track guest interviews, and generally stay organized. I use Google Drive to make my guest list for upcoming shows available to the MarketingProfs team. Let’s take a closer look at Trello.
- You can see that Trello replaces the old index card pinboard for tracking episodes! You can easily move cards from column to column, or even share cards or entire boards with someone else on your team so they can help as needed.
- I attach a checklist to each card, with the steps for producing a podcast. Checking them off as I go makes it possible to see exactly where I am with a particular episode. If you plan to interview guests, you’ll find that just the logistics of booking them can be really time consuming. Emails and calls back and forth to find a good time and date, and then following up with a calendar invite. But there are tools for that, too! I use ScheduleOnce.
- With ScheduleOnce, you provide guests a link to book their own day and time to record. The system automatically puts new bookings on your calendar after you approve them. You can even set up reminder and follow-up emails to go out on a set schedule! Once I’ve got guests booked, I add them to my production schedule.
- I keep my production schedule on Google Drive, so I can share it with MarketingProfs staff who need to know what’s coming up. They don’t need the level of detail in the Trello board: they just want to know which guests are featured on which dates, so this works.
- Once you’ve started podcasting, one important thing you need to do is monitor feedback and conversation (Social media, comments on your site, email), and respond to questions and comments. Remember to take it all in stride: you’re new at this, right? Use any feedback to make the podcast better.
- If you want to minimize negative feedback, work on improving your audio quality! Poor quality audio is unlistenable. Isolate yourself in a quiet room. Silence your phone Turn off notifications and other apps Email people in advance with instructions (e.g. “please call 10 minutes in advance”) But no matter how great it sounds, no one will listen to your podcast if they don’t know it exists!
- Promote your podcast! This is not an “if you build it, they will come” kind of scenario! If you want to grow your podcast audience, you’ll have to promote the show.
- All the same SEO tactics you’ve been using with blog posts, videos, and other content work here. Create rich, helpful content, targeted to the audience you want, so it’s highly shareable. Remember to include your most important keyword in the title, but don’t try and “keyword stuff,” which can be harmful to your search engine ranking.
- Add a transcript to your podcast for SEO value: think about how many keywords you drop during the natural course of conversation! It’s impossible to replicate that in writing without creating a nightmarish article, so take advantage of the spoken word for SEO by using a service to transcribe your podcasts, then upload them with the episode post on your site.
- Whatever channels your audience uses, be sure to promote your podcast there, and remember to create a custom image for each episode. Format your podcast posts for each network, using the conversational style of that site or service. Use short links if you want to track clicks from a specific post.
- You’ve invested so much into building an email list: remember to use it when you have helpful content to share, like a new podcast episode! Bonus: the analytics you get from your email service provider can give you a more complete picture of the customer journey. Figure out how many people click your call to action button to visit the podcast page, how long they stay, whether they download the episode to listen, and more.
- People have so little time today. More content of all types, on top of busy jobs, family obligations, and personal hobbies. (Anyone still have time for hobbies?) Many people are unwilling to spend time on a new podcast without some indication that it’ll be worth their time. Reviews make a huge difference! Ask your audience to review the podcast each time you record, and don’t be afraid to ask via social networks or other channels, as well. If they value the content, they’ll be happy to review it!
- After all this, you might be asking "But if podcasting's so great, why isn't everybody doing it?" THEY WILL BE. 15% of marketers report that they are currently podcasting, and 30% have plans in the next 12 months. Start now.
- Your salespeople would be overjoyed to have a target customer's attention for 30 minutes. Podcasting starts a conversation with a growing, influential audience, and it's easy! With minimal investment, you achieve real business goals. Now, go do it.
- Be sure to download the handout for this session for key takeaways!
- Thanks for having me!