Over the last few years, podcasting has experienced a record surge in popularity, with over 19 million active listeners in the UK alone.
And the industry’s growth shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, by the end of 2024, it’s predicted that there will be around 505 million podcast listeners worldwide, giving podcast creators a mammoth platform on which to express their views, share expertise, and spread their message to a potentially global audience.
Launching a successful podcast and establishing a loyal community of listeners won’t happen overnight. But with the right amount of dedication, consistency, and of course, a degree of technical ability, podcasting can be a lucrative and hugely rewarding business move.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about getting your podcast off the ground and growing an audience. Let’s get started.
What makes a good podcast?
At the time of writing, there are thought to be more than 3 million podcasts in existence – making podcasting a highly competitive market. Before you start planning your podcast, it’s essential to first understand what makes a good podcast, so that you can create a concept that sets you apart from the crowd.
Your content must be interesting, informative, or entertaining to truly engage listeners and leave them wanting more.
Some of the things that the best podcasts share in common include:
- A passionate host: if you don’t genuinely enjoy what you’re talking about, then it’s likely that neither will your listeners.
- Consistency: Committing to a regular publishing schedule and sticking to a clear theme and format helps to build and retain a loyal audience.
- Value: Providing genuinely valuable insights and advice on a topic can help motivate and inspire your listeners.
- Authenticity: Speaking from the heart and offering a personal touch through genuine stories and insights helps make your content relatable, and differentiates your show from the rest.
Take for example one of the UK’s most popular podcasts, The Diary of a CEO hosted by British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.
Each month the show follows the consistent format of an interview with a business leader, entrepreneur or influencer, who provides insights into their journey and the opportunities and challenges they have faced along the way.
The show has had huge success, due to its honest and candid discussions that offer listeners a true glimpse into the inner workings of a successful business, whilst providing value and entertainment.
Now that you know what makes a good podcast, it’s time to start planning.
Determine your goals
A good place to start is to determine what your podcasting goals are. Do you want to inform and educate your listeners? Are you looking to provide entertainment in the form of comedy or interesting interviews? Do you want to inspire your audience and leave them feeling motivated to do something?
Once you have defined the purpose of your podcast, the rest will unfold much more easily.
Refine your topic
Whether it’s football, politics, business, or dating – it goes without saying that the topic of your podcast will be based on something you feel passionate about, and have the expertise or experience to discuss in great depth.
As well as something you enjoy talking about, it’s a good idea to choose a theme that can be broken down into sub-topics to provide a wealth of content. For example, if finance is your forte, this could be broken down into multiple areas including money-saving tips, cryptocurrency, mortgage advice, and investment opportunities.
Being able to explore something in potentially vast detail means you can commit to producing an entire series made up of tens of episodes.
Offering a unique vantage point is also something that will help set you up for success, so think about ways in which you could add a twist to your chosen subject.
This doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel, but thinking about ways you can add something new and different. For example, sharing your own personal stories, challenging traditional assumptions, or reframing a topic in a way that hasn’t been explored yet.
Identify your audience
Once you have defined your topic and its purpose, it’s time to gain a clear picture of what your ideal audience looks like.
You should consider factors such as gender, age group, location, hobbies, and interests, how they spend their time online, what platforms they are most active on, what they want to learn, and what keeps them engaged.
Podcasts that are too general and appeal to a broad audience often tend to reach fewer people. So the more precise you can be when defining your audience, the better the results.
The more specific your topic is, the more you will able to narrow down your demographics. For example:
- Instead of ‘football’: Premier League football news
- Instead of ‘mental health’: Mental health for university students
- Instead of ‘business’: Advice for startups and entrepreneurs
This will allow you to more accurately pinpoint who your audience is and how to find them.
Choose a format
There are a number of podcast formats you can choose from. Your choice will likely depend on your own concept, as well as the target audience you have in mind.
Some popular formats include:
- Interview style: This format typically features a host interviewing a guest or multiple guests on a specific subject, in either a conversational or structured manner. This can be a great way to provide your audience with a variety of insights and perspectives, keeping your theme fresh and interesting.
- Solo-host: These podcasts feature a single host discussing a topic or issue, often in a more conversational style, and can range from educational to entertaining. Often they’ll call on the input of listeners to help guide storylines and conversation, for example through Q&As or asking the audience to submit their own stories, dilemmas, or personal experiences.
- Co-host: The best podcasts generally have more than one person involved. Having a co-host can help add dimension to your podcast and offer listeners different perspectives and viewpoints on a topic, without having to rely on sourcing guests for each episode. It’s also a great way to boost your confidence, by having somebody else to bounce off during discussions or debates. So consider teaming up with a friend or colleague who is equally as passionate about your topic as you are, or approaching a fellow expert in the same field who could offer value, or has traits that would complement your show’s agenda.
- Panel discussion: This format involves a panel of guests discussing a specific topic or issue as guided by the host. These can be structured or free-form, and can range from light-hearted to serious.
- Narrative storytelling: This style focuses on telling a compelling story over the course of several episodes. These podcasts often use sound effects, music, and other production elements to create a more immersive experience for the listener.
- Hybrid: Hybrid formats incorporate a mix of styles, such as interviews, storytelling, and panel discussions, to create a unique listening experience. While hybrid formatting does offer the listener variety, it’s important to keep elements of consistency within each episode, so that the listener knows what to expect from your show.
Decide on a name
Your podcast name should accurately represent your content and resonate with your target audience.
A good podcast name will help you stand out and get discovered more easily, as well as be remembered, so spend time brainstorming different ideas and try to be as creative as possible.
Once you have decided on your name, you’ll need to check it’s not already in use by doing a quick search online to avoid any potential legal issues from arising.
Create a schedule
As mentioned earlier, the most successful podcasts stick to a regular publishing schedule. Before you begin recording your content, you should ensure that you can commit to a consistent schedule; be it weekly, fortnightly or monthly. This will help set expectations and encourage your listeners to return to your show.
As well as deciding on the frequency of your show, you should also consider the length of each episode. Again, you should aim to be consistent with this, so that your audience gets to know your format and can adapt your podcasts into their routine – be it their daily commute to work, gym workout, or as they relax.
According to statistics, the optimal podcast episode length is between 20 – 40 minutes, whilst the ideal publishing schedule is every 8 – 14 days. That said, the length and timeframe at which you post will depend on your topic and formatting.
Plenty of podcasts experience success on a less frequent schedule, or with longer (and shorter) episodes.
Whatever you decide, consistency is the most important factor here – so pick a routine that works for you.
Write your script
Once you have decided on your topic and chosen your format, it’s time to script your content.
Of course, depending on your theme, your episodes may be primarily free-form; however, it’s still a good idea to create a script with a loose structure that will help guide your discussion and keep you on track with time.
You can base your script in a similar way to a story – it should feature a beginning (your introduction), a middle (your main content and discussion), and an end (a conclusion/summary).
To amp up production, you should consider adding music to your intro and outro, which you can select from sites like Shutterstock or Pixabay. As well as breaking up the show into segments to make your content digestible.
Your introduction should provide listeners with a brief insight into what your episode will cover and create some sort of hook, leaving the audience with a sense of suspense. In fact, the first five minutes of your podcast are critical, as this is where 20 – 35% of listeners will drop off if you don’t do enough to engage them.
When it comes to wrapping up your show, you should inform listeners of when your next episode will be released and, if possible, provide some insight into the next episode that might help encourage them to return.
Find a place to record
The quality of your audio can hugely impact the success of your podcast.
While you may not have the luxury of a recording studio, you’ll want to find a setting that is quiet and has materials around you to absorb sound and reduce echoes, such as furniture and soft furnishings. It’s also a good idea to record your episodes at a time of day you know is likely to be quietest, for example, when there are fewer neighbours around or less traffic outside.
As your podcast takes off, you might consider investing in soundproofing equipment like foam panels and partitioning, or renting studio space to achieve the best sound quality.
Purchase the essential equipment
Podcasting equipment will vary depending on your budget and the level of production quality you want to achieve. Generally speaking, the basic essentials you’ll need to invest in will include:
- A dynamic microphone for recording clear, high-quality audio. You can choose between a USB microphone, or an XLR microphone that requires an audio interface to connect to your computer.
- Headphones for monitoring the audio quality and reducing the risk of feedback or background noise during recording.
- A desktop computer or laptop with the processing power to comfortably handle your recording software.
- A stand or boom arm to help keep your microphone stable and positioned correctly during recording.
Choose your recording and editing software
There is a range of software options to choose from when it comes to both the recording and editing of your podcast.
You’ll need software that can capture audio from your microphone, and save it to a file on your computer. You’ll also require software that allows you to edit and make any necessary adjustments to the audio once recorded. You’ll likely need to make edits such as removing background noise, adding music and sound effects, and adjusting volume levels.
Some of the most popular software options for both recording and editing podcasts include:
- Audacity (free)
- Adobe Audition
- Spotify for Podcasters (free)
- GarageBand (available on MacOS devices)
- Hindenburg
If you plan on interviewing guests who are not in the same location as you, you might also want to consider investing in software that allows you to record remotely, such as SquadCast, Riverside.fm or Zencastr.
Select your hosting platform
Ultimately, you’ll probably want your podcast streamed on major directories like Spotify, Audible, or Apple Podcasts. However, these platforms do not allow you to directly upload your content to them. Instead, you will need to choose a podcast hosting site to store and broadcast your show.
Hosting sites generate what is known as an RSS feed for each podcast, a standardised format that enables podcast platforms and apps to easily syndicate and distribute new episodes to subscribers. Through your hosting site, you can submit your show to the main podcast directories for their approval.
Hosting platforms also provide you with detailed analytics, so you can keep an eye on your performance and monitor key metrics vital to developing your show’s future content, such as download numbers, audience demographics, and listener engagement.
Some hosting sites will also offer you monetisation opportunities like ad insertion or sponsorships, helping you to earn revenue from your content.
Some popular hosting platforms to choose from are:
- Buzzsprout (free for your first 90 days)
- Podbean (offers a free plan)
- Spreaker (offers a free plan)
- Captivate (free 7-day trial)
- Transistor (free 14-day trial)
Design your podcast artwork
Creating your artwork is a crucial step in launching your show, as it’s the first thing prospective listeners will notice when browsing directories for new podcasts. It will appear as a small square icon that sits beside your podcast title.
Your artwork should be eye-catching, while accurately depicting your show’s premise.
If you don’t have design experience, you could enlist the help of a professional through sites such as Fiverr or Freelancer, which allow you to source experienced designers at affordable rates.
Alternatively, you could create your own design through a site like Canva, which offers a simplistic way for users to create their own professional artwork with access to thousands of pre-made customisable templates.
Different podcasting platforms may have different specifications in terms of dimensions and formatting, but typically speaking you should aim for a maximum size of 3000 x 3000 px, and should save your artwork as a PNG or JPG file.
Write your description
Along with your artwork and podcast name, listeners will form a decision on whether or not to listen to your show based on your description. For this reason, it’s crucial you consider your words carefully and ensure they convey the best parts of your show.
You should aim to be as concise as possible, but provide enough information so that listeners can gauge a clear understanding of what your podcast is about and what value it can bring to them. Let them know who you are, who the podcast is for, and what the listener will take away from it.
Spread the word
Gaining an audience is unfortunately not an overnight process, but there are a number of ways in which you can encourage growth.
Using social media as a supporting tool is a highly effective way to build awareness and generate engagement with your content, particularly if you already have an established social following.
You could share preview clips and teasers via your social media pages, to give your audience exclusive insights just before new episodes go live. To reach an even wider audience, you could also consider running paid ads targeting specific demographics of people who are likely to benefit from your content.
Video is also another effective way to capture people’s attention. If you have a visually-appealing setup, feel comfortable on camera, and have the right equipment, you could consider recording your podcast episodes and sharing them on a video platform like YouTube to expand your reach even further.
Keep your listeners coming back
Besides producing high-quality content and sticking to a consistent schedule, as mentioned above, you should also continuously look for ways to improve your show, by taking onboard listener feedback and monitoring the elements of your episodes people enjoy the most – and any bits they perhaps dislike.
Developing your content and listening to your audience will keep your podcast fresh and relevant.
Another great way to get listeners to return to your show is to encourage them to subscribe to your podcast. This way, they will be alerted as soon as new episodes are released. Repeat this call to action at the end of each episode and include it in any supporting content or communications you push out on social media.
Build a community
On a final note, encouraging your audience to get in touch with your show, leave feedback, ask questions, or submit stories is a brilliant way to create a sense of community and collaboration, and keep your listeners engaged.
It can also help to generate ideas on which to theme your scripts and future material, and ensures that you are connecting with your audience and providing content that’s personal and relatable.
So there you have it
We hope you’ve found this guide useful and that it’s provided you with enough detail to get started on your podcasting business. Remember, with the right amount of passion, consistency, and dedication, there’s no reason why your podcast won’t be a success.
We wish you the best of luck with your podcasting journey.
