When people subscribe to podcasts you mention on your podcast, your podcast will show up under related podcasts on their podcast pages on Apple and Google Podcasts. This allows you to get new listeners through targeting the show’s listeners even though you were never a guest on their podcast.
Podcast episodes should be as long or short as they need to be
The length of an episode should be as long as it needs to be for the value that you want to give. Value should always be your focus and priority.
Your podcast artwork is very important
Podcast artwork is one of the only things besides the title of your show that people see before they decide to go and check out your podcast. Most importantly make sure that you design the logo to look good even on the screen of a mobile device.
Get discovered by being a guest on other podcasts
Being a guest not only gives you exposure to the audience of that podcast, but also through whatever podcast app they’re using to consume the episode. This makes it as easy as possible to find you, subscribe to you, and start listening to you. Along with that, you are getting endorsed with the host’s stamp of approval which means a lot to their audience that they’ve built trust with.
Find people you know to introduce you to host’s of podcasts you would like to be a guest on
If you see a podcast you’d like to be on that you don’t personally know the host of, see if you know anyone who knows them that can introduce you to one another.
Tell more stories on your podcast
Tell personal stories from your life whenever they’re fitting during a podcast episode. People absolutely love stories even if you’re teaching or it’s something technical. By telling stories, you get remembered and increase the potential for the audience sharing the episode with someone else who relates to the story.
Invest in a great microphone
Podcasting is an audio-based medium. This means audio is the most important thing when it comes to podcasting. Even if it’s a video podcast, the microphone makes all the difference and is a deal breaker. Click here to see Pat’s recommended list of microphones with pricing ranging from affordable to expensive.
Speak about a fist’s length away from the microphone
The average person should be a fist length away from the microphone and can measure using their fist to find the appropriate distance. Every podcaster should be listening in and monitoring their audio levels to ensure they should not be closer or further from the microphone.
Use a microphone shock mount
For the best quality sound, use an appropriate sized shock mount to hold your microphone. The shock mount will properly suspend the microphone to absorb any sort of vibrations that create a humming noise from your desk or bumping/moving the microphone.
Get a mic flag for your podcasting microphone
A mic flag is really cool because it can be customized in any way to show your branding and logo. Obviously audio listeners cannot see it, but it is an engaging visual enhancement for video viewers.
Batch process your podcast episode production
When you sit down to record a podcast try to attempt to get more than one episode done at a time. This allows you to get ahead and not fall into the trap of the content hamster wheel.
Plan what you’re covering on your podcast ahead of time
Plan what you’ll discuss ahead of time and actually put time in your calendar to do so. Come up with revolutionary and fun content ideas for future episodes.
Don’t over-edit your podcast episodes
If you make a big mistake or sneeze, obviously remove it. But removing every breath and um takes up too much time and doesn’t actually sound like normal human speech post-production.
Make your guest feel comfortable
Right when you get together with your guest, make them feel as comfortable as possible. Tell your guests immediately that you will not record until they’re ready. Also tell the guest to pretend they’re having a conversation where the audience is just a fly on the wall and not to worry about them. Finally say that you just want to get to know them and understand more about what they have going on.
Don’t record remote interviews on Zoom
When recording a remote interview on your computer, do not use Zoom. Zoom gives you compressed audio, which doesn’t sound great.
Observe and learn about your podcast’s related podcasts
Go to your podcast page on Apple or Google Podcasts and scroll down to the bottom where you will find your related podcast list. These are other shows your listeners are actually listening to, which is a great insight to discover what else they’re interested in. It is also a great conversation starter when reaching out to the host’s of these podcasts, saying you have a shared audience.
Podcast analytics are really important
It is important to understand analytics provided from your podcast hosting provider. Pay attention to the amount of downloads and listeners, along with any noticeable trends that will offer opportunity.
Pay attention to retention graphs
Wherever you are looking at analytics will have a section showing retention graphs. These will allow you to see dips where people lost interest in the podcast episode so you can then assess what you should resolve so people continue to listen.
Try bursting to increase the amount of downloads/views
Publish five episodes over five days. This will boost downloads/views as well as offer additional opportunity to make call to actions and promos.
Use visuals on your video podcast when discussing something
If you’re talking about something visual on your podcast, display a visual of it to assist your audience.
Don’t mention to many links or offers at once
When you mention links, plugs, or offers, don’t mention too many at once. Since people are often on the go in the car or doing something else, they won’t necessarily have the opportunity to write all those links down. Make it as easy as possible for them to check out what you want them to see.
Build an email list
Building an email list is the best way to understand who your audience is and reach out to them. Consider that an incentive may be necessary in exchange for collecting an email address.
Try to have a conversation with one listener per month
Ask them questions like what they love about the show, what kinds of episodes would be more interesting to them, and if there’s anything they’d like changed.
Don’t make a huge deal of missing an episode
Sometimes as a podcaster you need to take a break or are unable to record an episode. When this happens and you come back to your podcast, don’t make a huge deal about it or apologize. You are welcome to mention why if of interest or significance, but then just carry one and get back to business.
Pivoting in direction is alright
Pivoting is okay if you want. It is your podcast and you make the rules. If you would like to change the name or artwork or direction, that’s totally fine.
Remember your subscribers are real human beings
Think about every listener being a real person who is joining and listening to you weekly. There is power in connecting with your listeners on a personal level.
Don’t make it seem like you’re selling on your podcast when something is being sold
Instead of having your own product/service as a sponsor or blatantly sharing and selling guest’s products/services, discuss what life was like before the product/service along with how the product/service transformed life. This will subtly promote what you’re looking to sell without coming across as a salesman.
Don’t stress and worry about always having A-list celebrity guests on your podcast
Don’t always worry about trying to get big popular guests on your podcast. In fact, the best guests are often ones that are actually more relatable or even members of your own audience. These guests will also be likely to build real relationships with you compared to those who are more popular.
Stay prepared and bring a microphone when you travel
If you’re traveling to a podcast for some event where your audience, friends, connections, or colleagues might be, make sure to bring what you need to record a podcast. You don’t want to miss out on recording great conversations.
Purchase a small microphone that can be easily carried on the go
Having an additional little handy microphone is something you won’t regret. You can check out a micro recorder like the zoom h6n or rode smart lav which is nice and portable. You can even hook up a special lavalier microphone to your iPhone or Android.
A RODECaster Pro is a little box that processes your audio, allows for four microphone inputs, has a soundboard with eight programmable pads, and records audio.
Also record a video version of your podcast if possible
You can focus on recording the video version of your podcast to release on YouTube, and then rip the audio out of that video to release as an audio episode.
If you need an interview quickly, find a friend or colleague
If you need to record an interview episode and don’t have a lot of time, ask a friend or colleague. If there’s any way you can offer an exchange or collaboration opportunity, do so.
When interviewing someone continue to dig deeper into what’s being discussed
Ask questions to follow up on answers to initial questions. This is where the best answers come from and where your podcast will stand out if the podcast includes interviews. Ask follow up questions surrounding why or how.
When doing a solo podcast prepare and visualize the end result before recording
Think about what you want your audience to get out of the episode and then reverse engineer what points, stories, case studies, etc. you need to tell. Always try to have a good solid hook in the beginning of the episode to make sure the audience is more likely to stick around.
Don’t script your entire episodes
Based on experience, it’s a huge waste of time to script episodes and your podcast episodes will sound like you’re reading or a robot. Scripting portions of the intro and hook is alright, but everything else should just be notated.
Lean into who you are
This is one of the biggest tips. You need to lean into what makes you 100% unique and unlike anybody else. When you try to be like another podcaster or creator, you’re only going to be second at best. When you’re fully you, you’re going to attract people who want to be a part of your audience.
Figure out ways to connect with your audience
The only place that is designed for podcast listeners to connect with each other is on CrowdUltra. Click here to learn more about using CrowdUltra’s award-winning podcast social app to enhance your podcast as well as strengthen connection and engagement.
Release recap episodes once or twice a year
Release episodes playing clips from older episodes, especially at the end of the year. This is a nice reminder for listeners or a quick introduction to new listeners who missed the content.
Don’t SPAM your podcast episodes in forums and groups
Even if the episodes are helpful for that community or group, know that many people find it unwelcoming and you may get banned. First join these communities and the conversations they’re having. Then organically share content relevant to the discussions you are having with other group members you have fostered relationships with.
Connect with owners, presidents, and organizers of groups and forums regarding your podcast
One amazing strategy to get featured in groups is to actually connect with the person who runs the group and ask to interview them. You can make them look good and lead them down the path of sharing information the group should know about. This will likely motivate the leader to share the episode with the group.
Don’t compare your podcast numbers with others and instead with yourself over time
Understand no two podcasts are alike. You’re different people, you’re in different timelines, and you have different audiences. Doing this can send you sinking into a deep dark hole. Instead, compare yourself to yourself last week or last month or last year. Assess how your most recently recorded episode compares in quality to last week’s episode to see if you’re incrementally improving as you should be.
Know you cannot force a person to listen to your podcast on a specific platform
When you share your podcast on social media, you have to realize that you cannot force a person to listen on a specific directory or app. Instead use Linktree or link the show notes page on your website where there is also a player and a button to subscribe to your podcast or join your email list.
Start your podcast episodes with an amazing hook
The start of your podcast episodes should include a hook explaining the reason to listen to the episode until the end. Think about what you could say to a person to get them to play that podcast through their headphones or speakers while they go on a run, or to the gym, or are on a commute.
Ask your followers who listened to the most recent episode and connect with them
Ask your audience who listened to the recent episode. Reach out to every single person who comments with a direct message or video thanking them. Don’t ask them for anything and just thank them. This is how you’re going to build super fans.
Condense mediocre interviews into valuable clips
When conducting a podcast interview and it wasn’t that great because the guest or their answers were a little dry, take one or two clips to use for the episode. Edit those clips into a show that’s mostly going to be you elaborating and going deeper into what was discussed during the clips. Then reach out to that person and say you were inspired by their answers to those questions so you decided to just focus on them.
Create list episodes
Come out with episodes like top 10 this or the top five that. People love lists. If you want to take this one step further, tell a story that leads up to and introduces the list.
All music on your podcast should be royalty free or custom made
You need to have the rights to use any music on your podcast. If you don’t have permission from the owner of the music, you may not be allowed to publish any of the episodes including the music anymore and have to remove them from all directories.
Have fun podcasting!
Podcasting is super fun. You can connect with amazing people, build amazing relationships, learn extensively, and foster an audience of super fans.
Don’t end podcast episodes summarizing what was discussed
When you’re ending a podcast episode, don’t spend too much time summarizing and going on about the things that have happened or are upcoming. If you give clues that your episode is ending, people are likely to leave then and maybe miss out on something you want to share with them.
