Sounding Off – When to consider launching a podcast

The Internet is a noisy place, and most of us have less and less time to consume new information. The amazing power of a podcasting is that it takes less of the users direct attention but connects with them more.

With podcast you are able to get their attention without requiring complete focus. You’re able to showcase your expertise and share information. All while they’re able to go for a drive, hit the gym, or get some work done.

One of the biggest obstacles I hear from people considering podcasting is that they don’t know where to start and they think it’s going to be a massive investment of both time and money. This is not really the case, today I’m breaking down the 3 things you MUST have to get started.

1.  Flesh out your idea

Treat your podcast launch like anything else you would launch. Hash out who your ideal audience is, what problem you can solve for them, and how they want the info. This will help you determine everything from show style to show length. All other steps to a successful podcast depend on this so be sure you spend time with it.

Before launching Hit the Mic with Stacey Harris I looked at who my audience was, for me it was the same as my ideal client but it was looking at my ideal client from an audience perspective and not a purchase perspective. I knew that time was still an issue so for me it was very important to keep the shows pretty short. It also helps guide my content just as it would for a blog.

2. Get Your Gear

This really is important, you don’t want to put all of your amazing expertise and powerful words out there when no one can hear them or they just sound awful. You want to put your best foot forward.

The nice thing is though that this doesn’t have to cost a lot. I use a Samson Meteor Mic that I picked up for about $60 on Amazon. It sounds great. I know other podcasters who are fans of the Blu Snowball mic and it is about $50. Both plug in to your computer via USB so you’re good to go. Next up I record my podcasts into GarageBand which is actually free on Macs. PC users can check out Audacity. These programs will allow you to record and edit your podcasts.

The final piece of gear is a host, I use Libsyn to host my podcast and I’ve been really happy with it. This allows me to get a feed URL to submit to places like iTunes and Stitcher. Be sure to not use your WordPress website to host your podcasts because the reality is that eventually that’s going to slow down your website and that’s no good.

3. Marketing

Much like an email newsletter, a Facebook page, or a website you cannot just build it and hope people show up. You’ve got to let people know. Once you’ve uploaded and ready to share submit to multiple places. Stitcher, iTunes, DoubleTwist, Blackberry, and SoundCloud are just a few options. The more places you can put it the better.

I spent a fair amount of time pushing people to iTunes because of the New and Noteworthy time. For the first 8 weeks after your show is approved on iTunes you can be in New and Noteworthy. This means your show is above even the “What’s Hot” section. This gets extra eyeballs and eventually ears on your show. Maximize this time because it’s critical to growing your downloads and your subscription. To get into New and Noteworthy you want to be sure to ask your listeners to rate and review because that is going to help get those ratings up.

Once you’ve got your pieces in play you’re on your way. Put yourself in front of new audiences and find a way new way to connect with your existing community and showcase your expertise.

Also seeing yourself in iTunes makes you feel like a bit of a rock star!

The Stacey Harris is a powerhouse online entrepreneur helping her clients reach rock star status with communities full of raving fans who follow them anywhere. She’s also the host of Hit the Mic with Stacey Harris where she splits her time between sharing rock star online business techniques and interviewing entrepreneurs who are doing big things.You can find her and the show at www.thestaceyharris.com.