Ok, my headline may be misleading because although my new podcast Beyond the Bio is just coming up to the one month mark, I’ve previously created a one-off podcast series, The Ambition Accelerator, back in 2020 and my company Moja also produces several business podcasts for clients.
We have a podcast studio in our office and for over a year the team have been nagging me to create a podcast that showcases the business. In July, I finally decided that this needed to happen and have since been kicking myself that it took me so long.
My podcast is for business owners who want to learn how they can raise their professional profile or personal brand in a variety of ways. I cover speaking, podcasts, social media, PR, books, networking and more. It’s the kind of content I want to listen to which makes it even more fun to plan and record.
Here are my top six podcasting lessons so far:
Get your podcast on all the platforms
I made the assumption that because I listened to podcasts on Apple, most other people do! So wrong. Spotify is equally popular. Having the podcast listed across all the platforms has shown me that there is an audience on every platform.
Sound should be quality
From listening to other podcasts, I already knew this makes a difference. The top podcasts have the sound nailed so when you listen to a show where someone doesn’t have a quality microphone, it’s instantly obvious. And it’s annoying. This can manifest itself as the presenter being super loud and then the guest being quiet, muffled, or competing with background noise. Therefore, it’s important to make sure any remote guests have a good set up.
Length does matter
I’m going to put it out there and say only the likes of Steven Bartlett et al. can get away with episodes that go past the hour mark. I’m a fan of Diary of a CEO but the time commitment is significant, so I usually end up listening over a few days. New podcasters can’t get away with asking for such an investment from their listeners. I think 20 minutes is the sweet spot. Long enough to add value but snappy enough for most commutes.
Be frequent and stay consistent
Podcast charts work on how many episodes are downloaded rather than individual episode metrics. So, if you have a weekly podcast then you have 4-5 episodes working to chart (plus your back catalogue) rather than only one or two. The other point on frequency is being consistent. If you say your episodes come out every Monday, make sure they do. This is evident in all the top podcasts. In others, I often see ‘weekly’ listed for episode frequency, but then massive gaps of a month between releases, or sometimes two episodes come out in one week. To build a loyal subscriber base, that’s not going to work. If you’re concerned weekly releases might stretch your resource, try fortnightly. What’s most important is to define your schedule and stick to it.
Invite guests to add value
While it’s not essential to have guests on your podcast, featuring them can benefit you in several ways. Firstly, they are likely to promote the episode to their audience. Make this easy for them by providing graphics and a trailer along with the links. Secondly, you could offer to go on their podcast (if they have one) for extra benefits. Finally, I’m a big fan of inviting guests on that you would love to work with. It’s a lovely way to get to know them and hopefully will lead to business discussions.
Promote your podcast
Unless you have a strong personal brand to start with, no one is going to find your podcast if you don’t shout about it. I promote my podcast through all my social media platforms. We also put it out through my business’ social media and our email newsletter. Because I’m inviting guests with diverse and large audiences to join me, I’m amplifying the promotion.
I’m learning more about podcasts all the time from my team. I’ve set a goal to consistently be in the UK business podcast charts. A big goal perhaps, but I made it a peak of number 69 in the first week. The challenge now is staying in the charts then rising further.
If you are looking to raise your profile, I’d love you to listen to Beyond the Bio and let me know what you think.
Listen to Beyond the Bio: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/beyond-the-bio/id1699432408
