With more and more parents working from home due to the covid, I wasn't surprised when I was asked, "How Do You Start a Podcast?"
If you have ever dreamed about becoming a podcaster, now is the time to gain the confidence to start your own podcast and share your voice with the world.
With my series, Podcasting For Life, I'll break down the steps you need to take to launch your podcast and create a revenue stream from your listeners the very first day.
In part one of my Podcasting For Life Series, we will dive deep into your soul to find out exactly why you are interested in podcasting. Then, we'll take it one step further by choosing a podcast topic that fits you.
The first thing you will want to do before just jumping right in to podcasting is to ask yourself why you are making a podcast. What's your reason behind it? Your purpose? It's always a good idea to know what your goals are with podcasting.
Are you looking to explore a passion of yours? Perhaps share that passion with the world?
Maybe you want to share your expertise with those interested in a topic such as mental health?
Could it be that your goal is to promote a side hustle or business you are already invested in?
Or are you just simply looking to have a little or a lot of fun with a new online adventure?
No matter what your reason may be, they all share a common factor. The desire to satisfy your urge to connect with others, to create new opportunities, to be creative, and share those desires with the world.
Once you know the "why" to podcasting, you will want to choose a topic that fits that desire, that passion.
The topics you will want to consider are the ones that you care about. It needs to be a topic you can talk about for hours on end, but it also should be one you can put your unique spin on. If you are planning to monetize your podcast, you will want to consider whether or not your topic is big enough for a following.
Before you make a final decision on your chosen topic, explore every idea, every detail of its potential.
A topic or niche is well worth the additional research. You don't want to select a topic that won't have a huge following if you are planning to use your podcast as a potential source of income.
You may be passionate about chewing gum, but a majority of the world will not. Sure you may have a few dedicated fans who are just as passionate about the topic as you are, but if it's not popular enough to bring in a lot of listeners, you won't make money from it.
You also need to decide if the topic or niche of your choosing can be expanded. If you can't come up with several subject ideas on your topic you will lose your listeners' interest quickly as well as run out of things to talk about.
Ask yourself these questions:
Is it a passion that can help others solve a problem?
Do you have the solution?
Most topics (niches) can easily be adapted to help someone in need of an answer to their problem. Yet, not every niche that you are passionate about isn't always enough to bring in revenue from your podcast. Make sure there is a real need for your topic.
One way to discover if your chosen niche is ideal for a podcast is by doing a simple keyword search. One of my favorite free tools to research keywords is with the Google Keyword Planner. You simply enter a few keywords that are related to your niche, and Google will provide you with a list of words and suggested phrases.
Look for keyword search volumes that are around 1,000 to 10,000 per month. If you see any keywords where the search volume is less than 1K, it means that niche isn't very popular and might not be profitable.
Once you have a good idea of why you want to make a podcast and what topic (niche) you'll be talking about, it's time to move on to part 2 of my Podcasting For Series, where we will dig into how to identify your listeners and choose the right format for your podcast.
Meanwhile, be sure to join my Facebook Group, Podcasting For Life where you'll have permanent access to all of the information you need to start your podcast, plus freebies and more.
Success begins with you.
