The Final Podcast Launch Guidelines To Lastly Get Your Present Up and Operating

Wish to launch your personal podcast (or a podcast on your firm) however don’t know the place to begin? I’ve put collectively a podcast launch guidelines you should utilize to get your challenge up and operating, together with suggestions gathered from my private expertise and insights from members of the HubSpot Podcast Community.

Let’s rewind earlier than 2018, after I began my very own present, Balanced Black Woman. I used to be one of many estimated 120 million folks listening to podcasts month-to-month. Finally, I had an concept of my very own and was capable of launch with no prior audio expertise — and if I can do it, you’ll be able to, too.

Actually, beginning a podcast is less complicated than ever because the medium has elevated in recognition and profitability. Right here’s the final word guidelines that will help you begin a profitable podcast.

Desk of Contents

Beginning a Podcast Guidelines

• Decide your area of interest.
• Determine your preferrred listener.
• Title your podcast and safe social media handles.
• Resolve which format and publishing schedule you’d wish to observe.
• Choose a podcast internet hosting service.
• Create podcast cowl artwork.
• Get your podcasting gear.
• Create a roadmap and attain out to potential friends.
• Plan your launch episodes in additional element.
• File and edit your first three episodes.
• Write the present notes on your launch episodes.
• Create a podcast trailer.
• Add and schedule your trailer and launch episodes.
• Submit your podcast to on-line podcast directories.
• Market your podcast and have a good time your launch.

1. Decide your area of interest.

In case your present is simply too common, listeners won’t ever know what to anticipate on your present. In the event that they don’t know what they’ll get, they tune out. Kyle Denhoff, Sr. Director of Advertising at HubSpot, echoes this sentiment.

“The extra centered you’re, the simpler it’s to construct an viewers. For instance, be the technique present for B2B entrepreneurs or the information present for AI fanatics,” says Denhoff, who oversees demand technology for all channels, together with podcasts.

For my present, I began by determining the style and area of interest that my podcast would fall below. This made it simpler for platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify to categorize my content material so my audience may discover it. As an illustration, my podcast present falls below the broader wellness style, with a extra particular give attention to the expertise of Black girls.

Different widespread podcast genres embody:

• Arts.
• Information.
• Music.
• Finance.
• Enterprise.
• TV and movie.
• Training.
• True crime.
• Society and tradition.

Professional tip: Decide which style finest describes the podcast you’d wish to create or the trade you’re in, and preserve this matter in thoughts as you intend out your content material and put together for launch.

2. Determine your preferrred listener.

After selecting the wellness style, I took time to zero in on my preferrred listener, which I discovered just like making a purchaser persona. Creating a super listener helped me hone my messaging and create a clearer focus inside my style.

Listed here are some traits I like to recommend contemplating when describing your audience:

• Age.
• Earnings.
• Pursuits.
• Hobbies.
• Occupation.
• Training stage.
• Geographic location.

I additionally discovered it helpful to brainstorm. I requested myself the next questions.

• What is that this listener eager about?
• How usually do they take heed to podcasts?
• The place do they study new podcasts?
• Should you had been having a dialog with this listener, what questions would they ask?
• What different podcasts is that this particular person listening to, and what does that inform me about what they need to hear?

The solutions to those questions helped me craft content material that was particularly related for my potential listeners.

Professional tip: When you’ve got buddies or colleagues who suit your preferrred listener profile, it may be useful to survey them to get their suggestions in your podcast concept and study extra about their media consumption habits.

3. Title your podcast and safe social media handles.

At this level, you understand what your podcast is about and have recognized your preferrred listener. Now, it’s time to decide on a reputation.

Whether or not your podcast title is expounded to what you are promoting or one thing totally new, carry out an in depth search to make sure the title you need is on the market. You don’t need to choose a title already related to another podcasts, manufacturers, or registered emblems.

At this stage, I additionally advocate registering the area title and social media accounts you’ll be utilizing to advertise the podcast and have interaction your viewers. When you received’t want them straight away, the very last thing you need is to create art work and produce your podcast, solely to seek out out that the handles you need have been taken.

Professional tip: Operating a search within the U.S. Patent and Trademark web sites can assist you guarantee there are not any current emblems on the title you need.

For extra insights on selecting the best area of interest, naming your present, and extra, you’ll be able to take a look at HubSpot’s video on 9 professional suggestions for beginning a podcast.

9 Professional Tricks to Begin Your Podcast in 2024 (FREE Information)

4. Resolve which format and publishing schedule you’d wish to observe.

After naming your present, it’s time to get into the weeds of what your podcast will seem like by selecting the format sort and your publishing cadence.

Widespread podcast codecs embody:

• Scripted.
• Interviews.
• Storytelling.
• Documentary.
• Conversations.

When contemplating the publishing cadence you’d wish to observe, word that the most typical podcast publishing schedules are weekly, bi-weekly, and month-to-month. That stated, consistency is extra necessary than frequency relating to podcasting. Above all, select a schedule you’ll be able to keep.

Professional tip: Denhoff recommends beginning together with your podcast’s goal, suggesting that you simply “outline the worth your podcast goals to supply. Are you filling a necessity for information, training, or leisure? Your content material ought to align with the function it performs in your viewers’s life.”

As an illustration, if the worth you present is leisure, then a scripted or storytelling format may work finest. Conversely, since one in all my targets is to amplify the voices of Black girls within the wellness house, most of my present makes use of an interview format.

5. Choose a podcast internet hosting service.

Now, you need to choose a podcast internet hosting platform. These platforms enable you retailer episodes and make them out there in RSS feeds so you’ll be able to distribute them on platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

I feel Buzzsprout is a wonderful place to begin, because it affords a free plan and low-cost paid tiers. If you’d like extra superior options like monetization choices, listener analytics, and subscriptions, premium companies like Captivate or Libsyn might be a very good match for you.

Professional tip: Get your personal web site. This fashion, you’ll be able to change internet hosting companies if want be whereas offering a seamless transition on your listeners.

6. Create podcast cowl artwork.

Your cowl artwork provides podcast listeners a primary impression of your present earlier than they press play, so that you need it to be good. I like utilizing instruments like Canva to create my cowl artwork and templates for several types of episodes.

Earlier than I began to work alone graphics, I discovered it useful to browse directories like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts to establish widespread visible components among the many top-rated reveals and add those who suited my model.

Picture Supply

When creating your art work, make it possible for:

• It’s simple to learn in smaller sizes.
• It’s constant together with your branding.
• It’s a transparent picture that doesn’t seem blurry.
• It doesn’t comprise any copyrighted pictures or logos of non-affiliated corporations.

Professional tip: It’s additionally crucial that your podcast art work is the right dimension. Apple suggests utilizing a 3,000×3,000-pixel picture to future-proof your art work.

Incorrect sizing can affect your podcast’s means to publish and show in directories accurately, so that you’ll need to be certain that your art work is the fitting dimension. So, when your art work is full, add it to your podcast internet hosting service to make sure it reveals up accurately throughout platforms.

7. Get your podcasting gear.

Your podcast recording setup will be as advanced or so simple as you’d like. Should you’re opting to file at an area studio, this might be the right level within the course of to analysis choices close to you and e book a recording session.

Should you plan to file at dwelling and are in search of an easy setup, you’ll want the next:

• Headphones.
• A laptop computer or laptop.
• Recording software program comparable to Squadcast, Zencastr, Zoom, or Riverside.
• A USB or XLR microphone (when you use an XLR microphone, be sure you get a mixer to attach the mic to your laptop).
• Enhancing software program comparable to Alitu, GarageBand, Audacity, Adobe Audition, or Descript.

Professional tip: You don’t want to interrupt the financial institution on recording gear to begin a high-quality podcast. Try this record of really useful podcast instruments and discover the objects that suit your finances and expertise stage.

8. Create a roadmap and attain out to potential friends.

When you could also be itching to get behind the mic at this level (I do know I used to be), I discovered it useful to create a high-level define of your present’s first 10 to twenty episodes earlier than you file.

Once I spoke with Joe Fier of The Hustle & Flowchart podcast, he described a technique you’ll be able to break down the primary 20 episodes based mostly on their goal:

• Introduction: 1 episode (5%).
• Worth episode: 6 episodes (30%).
• Neighborhood episodes: 3 episodes (15%).
• Supply episodes: 2 episodes (10%).
• Visitor appearances: 4 episodes (20%).
• Repurposed content material highlight: 4 episodes (20%).

This is only one instance and will be tailored based mostly in your style and the content material sorts you’ve chosen to create.

Should you plan to interview friends, I like to recommend creating your visitor record and reaching out at this stage. I discovered that confirming availability with friends helps me plan out my podcast schedule upfront so I can keep in step with my publishing schedule.

Professional tip: Should you plan on that includes different folks in your podcast, take a look at your current community for potential friends. It’s robust to get folks on board with chilly outreach when you don’t have any current materials folks can evaluation earlier than they comply with the interview.

9. Plan your launch episodes in additional element.

As soon as you understand your total plan, you’ll be able to map out extra particulars concerning the episodes that may accompany your launch. Sure, episodes.

In spite of everything, getting podcast listeners isn’t that totally different from how music artists draw consideration to their work — you lure them in with a very good track, however it’s not till they’ve listened to the opposite songs within the album that you’ve got actually caught them.

Fier agrees and states, “Launching with two or three episodes is finest since you need to preserve your viewers in that momentum.”

In my expertise, beginning with a number of episodes additionally provides you an opportunity to earn extra downloads, scores, and critiques in a shorter time frame, which will be useful for discoverability and rating on the charts.

Fier goes on to advocate utilizing the primary episode as an introduction that “highlights your experience after which reveals folks the place you’re going to take them in your podcast.” From there, you should utilize the follow-up episodes to point out them what that appears like.

Professional tip: Should you plan to characteristic friends in your present, Fier suggests bringing your first visitor early on to introduce your viewers to the kind of interviews they’ll count on. “It’s additionally an ideal advertising technique to get a visitor to introduce you and your present to their viewers,” he says.

10. File and edit your first three episodes.

With the define of every episode in your launch plan, it’s time to file and edit. Earlier than recording, I wish to create a script for every podcast episode outlining the factors I need to make (if it is a solo present) or the questions I’d wish to ask the visitor I’m interviewing.

Making a strong script or define is particularly useful once you’re a brand new podcaster getting used to the medium.

As soon as your scripts are prepared, file your launch episodes in your recording software program of selection. You may then edit them your self or rent an editor to take action. When modifying, be conscious of background noise and filler phrases that would distract the listener.

Professional tip: Learn your scripts out loud to listen to how they sound. This can enable you think about your content material as a podcast earlier than you begin recording.

11. Write the present notes on your launch episodes.

Now that your first few episodes are recorded, it’s time to put in writing the present notes.

Present notes are primarily quick weblog posts that accompany every podcast episode. They’re an ideal place to place a common description of the episode together with group hyperlinks, comparable to an e-mail sign-up.

Once I write present notes, I like to incorporate:

• A common abstract of the episode.
• Time-stamped chapters of various subjects we cowl.
• Details about my visitor (if it’s an interview).
• Hyperlinks to sponsors and any talked about assets.

Whereas it may be tempting to gloss over present notes, it’s price placing in some effort. I’ve discovered that apart from serving to with website positioning, which may deliver new listeners to your present, present notes also can preserve your viewers engaged and able to observe your content material on different platforms.

Professional tip: Embrace hyperlinks to related assets, comparable to books or research you point out in the course of the present. This creates extra worth for listeners and might improve engagement.

12. Create a podcast trailer.

As one remaining step earlier than importing your first present, file a trailer. A trailer is a brief audio clip that introduces your podcast to new listeners and will get them excited to tune in. In your podcast trailer, you’ll need to embody:

• An introduction to your podcast and what it’s about.
• When listeners can count on new episodes.
• A teaser of what’s to come back or highlights so the viewers is aware of what to anticipate.
• A call-to-action inviting the listener to come back again.

Professional tip: Maintain your trailer partaking and informative however concise. One to 2 minutes in size is all you want.

13. Add and schedule your trailer and launch episodes.

Now that you’ve got your first three episodes, present notes, and a trailer, you’re able to publish. Add your audio recordsdata and present notes to your podcast host, and schedule your episodes to publish in your desired launch date.

Professional tip: Your launch date ought to fall on the day of the week you intend to publish shifting ahead so your viewers is aware of proper from the beginning when to tune in.

14. Submit your podcast to on-line podcast directories.

As soon as your first episodes are uploaded to your podcast service, it’s time to undergo podcast directories so listeners can tune in to your present. Keep in mind that directories can take a number of days or a few weeks to approve your podcast. You’ll need to issue that point into your launch plan.

I like to recommend beginning with the platforms which have the widest attain. The prime three podcast directories based mostly on variety of listeners are:

• Spotify, with 25% of whole listeners.
• Apple Podcasts, with 20% of whole listeners.
• Google Podcasts, with 16% of whole listeners.

Streaming your podcast to different platforms comparable to Stitcher, Castbox, Pandora, and Amazon Music will be managed inside your podcast host settings.

Professional tip: Revisit step two to see which streaming companies your preferrred listener makes use of to find and observe their podcasts.

15. Market your podcast and have a good time your launch.

Congratulations — you simply launched your first podcast! Now, it’s time to get the phrase out by advertising your present to your preferrred listeners and celebrating your laborious work.

I’ve discovered that short-form movies are wonderful methods to advertise my podcasts, so I take advantage of Instagram reels to focus on prime clips from my interviews.

Professional tip: Fier suggests leveraging YouTube as a podcast advertising channel, saying, “Video goes to be a chunk of podcasting these days. YouTube will probably be the place lots of momentum is occurring for podcasts due to their algorithm.”

For much more data on organizing, producing, and advertising your podcast, obtain our Final Information to Beginning a Podcast without cost. You’ll even get e-mail outreach templates and recommendations on one of the best methods to measure success.

In comparison with different advertising channels, podcasting is without doubt one of the extra advertising-friendly choices. One survey confirmed that 46% of podcast listeners don’t discover adverts intrusive in any respect. In distinction, 77% of individuals discover adverts considerably or very intrusive on YouTube, and 64% discover adverts considerably or very intrusive on TV.

As such, don’t really feel shy about working with sponsors who’re a very good match on your model. In a podcast setting, adverts are much less prone to be a turnoff for listeners. Should you can tie adverts into the theme of your present or episode, they are often particularly helpful on your viewers.

Podcasts take preparation.

Podcasts are a superb strategy to construct group together with your audience, however if you wish to develop your present’s viewers, you will need to put together. From figuring out your preferrred listener and drafting a launch plan to crafting outlines for every present, the significance of analysis, planning, and preparation by no means goes away.

That stated, you don’t want to attain perfection to be ready. Belief me, although, I do know the temptation of getting each element excellent. When you’ve completed the work, one of the best factor you are able to do is to get began. Over time, you’ll be able to alter your technique based mostly in your metrics and listener suggestions.