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Thinking of a Podcast? Here Are Four Tips To Do Things Right

The popularity of podcasting means you might have to double down on the strategy when bringing your message to the world on the way to making an impact. Read on for some podcasting tips.

Podcasting is on the rise in a big way, which is a double-edged sword, if you think about it.

It’s growing really fast among both creators and listeners, which means that not only is the audience getting bigger, but also the competition. So, if you’re getting your start in the field now, you might find it a little tough to get going.

However, you can still succeed. Check out these four tips to see how you can make podcasting work for your association:

Consider the strategy. Simply recording a bunch of audio and hoping for the best is not an effective strategy. Much like the stories you might produce as a part of your content strategy, podcast content needs to be well-considered and properly thought through. National Public Radio, which produces a whole lot of popular podcasts, has a well-organized guide, targeted at students, that helps discuss basic ideas for strategizing, brainstorming, and structuring a podcast. Even if you aren’t a student, you might find the guide handy.

Don’t lead with your brand. Ultimately, people are listening to a good podcast for the same reason they read a good article. They want to be informed. While there may be a lot of reasons you want to put your brand out front, the brand should ultimately come second to creating a piece of content that people want to keep turning back to. “As you develop your series, consider topics you and your audience can be passionate about, even if it’s only tangentially associated with the brand,” Masthead Media cofounder Amanda Pressner Kreuser wrote in a blog post for Inc. “Think about it: Would you want to use your precious commute time listening to one, long-form brand promotion; or would you rather hear compelling, engaging content?”

The vocals really matter. Really. Misstatements or poor phrasings that might be OK in normal speech can drive podcast listeners crazy—and might scare them off from future episodes. So what’s a budding podcaster to do? Per Podcasting Hacks, you might just want to take things slow and embrace a degree of silence. “For me, and some of you out there, speaking quickly is a defense mechanism because we’re afraid of losing someone’s attention,” podcaster Salvador Briggman wrote in his post. “You shouldn’t be spewing out words, like you’re a fervent talk show host. You should be speaking TO the listeners, like they are your friend. That’s how you’ll engage them.” If you’re not a podcast voice, don’t be afraid to use a hired gun, either. In her Inc. piece, Pressner Kreuser notes that hosts with strong followings often have the ability to sell a message.

Promotion matters, too. Technology firm Cision, best known for running PR Newswire, says that simply putting a podcast online isn’t enough to ensure that it will succeed. “As a content producer you have no one to blame [but] yourself if no one consumes your content,” the company’s Oscar Duran explains. “This goes into the planning and research. You could have the best hour of content ever produced, but if you’re not pushing it out across the social platforms where your target audience spends their time, then it doesn’t matter how good it is.” He adds that a poorly produced podcast can even succeed with the right level of promotion.

(nortonrsx/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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