Original Recipe Podcast

If it is your goal to do a podcast, simply whip out your mobile device, open one of the many podcast apps, and press “record.” For many, doing a podcast could be fulfilling for the host, but it often doesn’t attract listeners.

If it is your goal to do an original podcast  that people listen to , there are many factors to consider.

When I am approached by a company or an individual with an idea for a podcast I strive to be encouraging, to look at what is possible – and to educate them on a few basic realities.

Podcasting – like any media or entertainment platform – is a crowded battlefield with many casualties. Of all the available podcasts in the world today, 75% are no longer active according to  Podcast Industry insights. Many shows never make it to a second episode.

For initial conversations with aspiring podcasters, I try to guide them with simple start-up questions.

How will your show serve and entertain an audience?  Good shows are designed to entertain first and inform second. Information podcasts must offer relevant, fact-checked information – content that the listener already cares about — not what they  should  care about. If a show is extraordinarily funny, humor trumps everything. A red flag is when a company wants to “showcase our brand and services.” That is an infomercial, not a show.

• Do you have an  episode plan  and  show plan ?
  • A show plan includes:
    • Frequency . Will the show post new episodes daily, weekly, monthly?  Make a schedule and stick to it. Shows must post like clockwork to retain their audience.
       
    • Multiple-episode content . How does episode one flow into episode two and then to episode three, carrying along as much of the audience as possible?
       
• An episode plan includes:
  • A knockout setup . The first words spoken on the show must grab the audience’s attention.
     
  • Episode start.  Place the  best  content of the episode in the first five minutes, where podcasts lose 20-30% of their audience.
     
  • Episode end . Schedule the  second-best  content of the episode at the end, where the host can tease the audience into staying tuned.
  • Pattern disruptions . Good podcasts re-engage the audience with some kind of change every 2 ½ to 5 minutes. Change topics, shift hosts, bring in new guests, add benchmark features.
     
• What is your business plan?
  Budget and account for these items:
  • How will you monetize the show? Advertisers? Subscribers? Client referrals?
     
  • Editing and distribution. Consider outsourcing to an excellent, affordable production company like  EditMyAudio.com  from our friend, Tessa Hall.
     
  • Audio: Microphones, soundproofing, etc. Cheap equipment sounds cheap.
     
  • Graphics: Your show’s thumbnail logo is a make-or-break factor in attracting first-time listeners. Invest in a great one.
     
  • Promotion: How will listeners find your show? Consider the cost of advertising on other podcasts.
     
• Have you done a competitive review?  Studying what other podcasts in your genre are doing will help determine how your show needs to be different and how high to set the bar to compete.
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• What are the stories you will tell?  Imagine that a person wants to start a wine podcast. Our advice is  stories, not stuff. Wine fans can get information about vintages, growing seasons, grape varietals, etc. from an app. A good wine podcast tells stories about interesting winemakers, how they began, life challenges and winery setbacks, and happy endings.

Photo by Kate Oseen on Unsplash