The Benefits of Hosting Your Own Podcast
I love podcasts.
When I am driving into the office in the morning, I find that podcasts are a great way to get my mind right. I enjoy the marketing podcasts I subscribe to and it's great to fill my brain with the right kind of content before I start my day.
I listen to podcasts at the gym, while I am doing laundry and when I am walking around Publix. They're great.
The problem with podcasts is the same as everything else. There is a lot of competition. To make podcasting even more difficult, there is a lot of technical skill involved, not to mention some expensive equipment.
Those challenges can be overcome. Really what it comes down to is this...
"Will starting a podcast be worth the time you put into it?"
That's the real question. There are so many options available to market your business, it can be difficult to decide which direction to go. In this post, we will go over some quick checkpoints to see if podcasting is worth your time.
Can You Commit to Podcasting at Least Once a Week?
If you are thinking of starting a podcast, you need to take an honest evaluation of your time. Consistency is the name of the game. If you don't have the time to publish one new episode a week, then you won't be able to publish new content at the frequency needed to build an audience.
Keep in mind, the time required is more then the time you actually sit down to record the episode. You need to...
Record the episode
Network to find guests (keep in mind, you don't need to have a guest)
Plan your episodes with research
Edit the podcast
Potentially record sponsored plugs
Promote your episode
Some would go so far to say that recording the podcast is the easiest part. Personally, I find editing to be a drag. If you aren't willing to learn how to edit the audio files, then do you have the capital to outsource it?
The most time consuming aspect is the planning. You could just as easily have guests and simply record your conversation. Many times this leads to the best material. But that requires time to network and find guests. If you prefer to go solo, then you need to go into each episode with a subject, a time frame, material, call to action and closing remarks.
Podcasts are expected to be polished.
Do You Know How to Create a Podcast? If Not, Are You Willing to Learn?
Setting up a podcast is pretty challenging. First, you need to create a hosting account. You could use blubrry, or libsyn or Amazon s3. Audio files are very big so special hosting is required.
After that, are you going to publish them on your website? Or are you going to upload them into iTunes, or both?
If that's the case, setting up an iTunes account is pretty confusing. I've had my podcast network for over a year now and the truth is, I still get confused. Apple is not the most user friendly interface.
I'm not saying this to intimidate you. Learning how to set up a podcast is just like anything else. You need to learn and research and study and practice. After you do it a few times, you will be good. Regardless, you need to ask yourself if you have the time and the willingness to learn.
Again, podcasts are not required, so if the answer is no then just say it. It is better to allocate your time in the places that will be most effective.
What is the Point of You Podcasting?
Honest questions...
Are you looking to make money from sponsorships?
Do you want to grow your brand?
Are you trying to sell a product?
I am not in the frame of mind that everything should have some kind of monotezation in mind, but I do think that there should be a purpose behind everything you.
The biggest mistake that people make is that they just start to do things. They see other people doing it and they think it could work for them. But what is the motivation between you creating a podcast?
Understand your purpose.
With that being said, there is more then one reason to start a podcast. Sponsorships are the least profitable aspect of podcasts. I recommend using podcasts much in the same way you would use blogs. Use the content itself to provide value and create an audience. Once you have an audience, you can influence them on your products or services.
However, this takes a long time. There is a ton of competition in podcasts. So know what you're getting yourself into.
Don't Have the Time? Use This Easy Hack!
Months ago, I wrote an article about this new social platform called Anchor. Anchor is a mobile app that let's you create 2 minute segments of audio content.
People can build following and post their audio snippets into their feed, much in the same way that Twitter works. Think of Anchor as Twitter except with audio. Again, much like you Twitter, you can go in and get an embed code that will allow you to embed your audio files into a blog post.
This is a short and easy work around for someone who feels that audio is a good medium for them to express their thoughts and idea, but don't have the time to commit to doing a podcast.
If You Are Second Guessing Yourself, Don't Do It
As I said before, I love podcasts. Joe Rogan, the Unemployable Podcast with Bryan Clark and The StarTalk Podcast with Neil DeGrasse Tyson are also perfect examples of this.
If you are willing to be in it for the long haul, the get cracking! Don't think about it. Just start podcasting and get better as you go.
However, if you are having second thoughts, your best bet is to start with something that may have a quicker return on it. In my experience, I started with written word content, after that I began creating video content, and lastly I created my podcast network.
A great podcast will add huge value to your brand, but a bad podcast could hurt your brand and waste your time.
If you have any questions about setting up a podcast or whether it is worth your time, feel free to contact us. I'd love to have a conversation.
Till next time. Thanks for reading!