Launching a Podcast can feel exciting as well as daunting.
It’s obvious. You are starting your own Podcast with 0 experience. The only experience you had was listening to them for inspiration. Feeling anxious is natural.
Launching a Podcast without a Plan is like going fishing without a rod. If you jump into Podcast without knowing certain things, you might shut down your Podcast within a few days.
But there’s nothing to worry about. Because in this blog, I am going to talk about 4 crucial things you should keep in mind before launching your Podcast and achieving your goals with it.
So without further, let’s dig in.
#1 : Purpose
This idea states the reason(s) behind starting your Podcast in the first place.
Try asking yourself these three questions.
- Why am I starting a Podcast?
- What do I want to achieve with it?
- What inspired me to start my own Podcast?
- These questions will give you a clear idea of the exact cause behind starting a Podcast. This will drive you to keep creating Podcast content for the rest of your show.
On the other hand, if you don’t find your ‘purpose’, you might as well just get bored and give up on your Podcast. A few episodes and you’ll feel like you’ve lost the thrill of producing any more content.
So find your purpose and let it drive you to produce incredible podcast content.
Moving on, let’s look at the key thing that starts with an “M”.
#2 : Topic
This idea helps you find if your Podcast topic does have listeners or are you just shooting an arrow in the void.
In other words, your Podcast can’t be a success without listeners. And listeners won’t come to your Podcast if your topic doesn’t resonate with you.
So choose a topic that is in demand. Narrow down on it and finalize on a specific niche.
Let me demonstrate with an example :
Broad Niche : Entrepreneurship Advice
Sub niche : Entrepreneurship Advice for those in their 30s with an Ecommerce store
I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve suggested you to niche down on your topic. Apparently, Podcasts have been around us for a decade now.
And that means there are Podcasters who have been in this game since the beginning of Podcasting and are a professional today.
Most of the broad niches are taken by these Podcasters and competing with them is like fighting with an elephant.
Do this instead. Pick topics you like talking about. Find out which ones can be narrowed down. Niche down and finally, select that as your Podcast topic.
Next, let’s look at the next vital thing you need to keep in mind before your launch.
#3 : Goals
Setting goals is the most practical way to scale your Podcast to success. But start with small milestones to avoid setting any superficial expectations.
Here are a few examples to start with.
- Hitting 1000 downloads in the next 90 days
- Getting 100 Email Leads in 45 days
- Getting on a consulting call with 5 listeners in 50 days
Small milestones don’t disappoint you. Don’t forget, if you’ve just launched your Podcast, setting high goals would only end up disappointing you.
Start with small. Scale big later.
Later, when you’ve got a consistent flow of listeners, feel free to set higher goals. Your goals might align with your Podcast topic, so I’ll show some common examples.
- Hitting 100k downloads per month
- Making $1500 per month from Podcast Ads and Sponsors
- Getting 1000+ email leads per month
Avoid setting unrealistic goals, you’ll end up getting demoralized which might turn harmful to your Podcast.
So note down your milestones first, hit them, and then shift to setting bigger goals.
What happens when you don’t set goals?
Ever thought of catching a fish without bait? Yeah. When you don’t set goals for your Podcast show, you’re basically fishing without bait.
Your goals will motivate you to continue Podcasting and scoring them will bring you immense satisfaction.
Next, let’s look at the last thing to keep in mind when launching a Podcast.
#4 : Schedule
Maintaining a publishing schedule is necessary when you’re running a Podcast. It’s easier for listeners to tune in on fixed days.
An inconsistent schedule can lead to problems like :
- Burnout
- Procrastination
- Loss of interest
- Loss of listeners
And plenty of other issues, but you get the point. So fix days for your Podcast.
You can keep it weekly or bi-weekly. Either way, I suggest picking specific days for episode releases. Maybe Sundays or Wednesdays, completely up to you.
If you’re looking to schedule Podcast episodes, I can’t think of any better hosting service other than Buzzsprout. I pre-schedule my episodes 1–2 months in advance without any hassles.
Bonus
If you’re planning to launch your Podcast, you can get my Free Email Podcast Launch Course where I’ll help you launch your Podcast and release your first episode in just 14 days.
But it’s not just any other course. I’ve laid down a step-by-step process and activity in each email to help you learn and implement it quickly.
What Next?
Launching a Podcast today is one of the best decisions to increase your brand awareness today. And with the 4 crucial things I’ve listed, nothing can stop your Podcast from becoming a hit.
To summarize, here are the 4 key ideas to keep in mind prior to launching a Podcast.
- Purpose
- Topic
- Goals
- Schedule
Now passing it over to you, which one will you try first? Is it setting Goals or finding a Podcast topic? or one of the others?
Either way, let me know by dropping a comment below.