A lot of extremely successful podcasts are started after there is a large following gathered via email subscriptions with automated updates or marketing campaigns.
Now, I’m not saying you can’t be successful by launching a podcast first. John Lee Dumas was incredibly successful with his Entrepreneur On Fire podcast. Pat Flynn also accomplished this feat. But it’s rare.
Most successful podcasts started with an audience already in place. Just look at the ones you listen to and do your research. They probably started with a blog or a video series, or maybe a network or print magazine, or the podcaster was a published author with a following. If I were starting a podcast today, I would work for 12 months to build a solid list of email subscribers first, and THEN diversify the platform with the podcast.
When creating a podcast there is usually a topic that you start with or have a passion for to begin with and the key is to make sure this is a topic listened by many. Content gaps are literally gaps of coverage through media for specific topics or specific situations. Identifying these gaps can give you the opportunity to create content that directly niches out a specific demographic of listeners.
With this niche, you can then build brand awareness through that group of listeners and grow the podcast with your newly filled content gap. With Podcast Prime we were lucky to identify a gap that was truly needed in the marketplace. If five or more competitors already were vying for that space, we probably would have passed on the opportunity or tilted in a different direction.
In the marketing industry, most podcast formats revolve around one host with a new guest every week. We wanted to do something different. Plus, we didn’t think we could accomplish our goal of delivering the most important news each week with variable guests.
Knowing the best way to deliver the content through your podcast also gives you the ability to effectively convey the message of your podcast. Delivery is just as important as content and each different podcast's delivery method is different based on who you're appealing to and what you're talking about.
Quality recording and editing software is key to a viably produced podcast that sounds good and is also constructed in an efficient format. Knowing what to do with intros, outros, and sponsorships can also provide a more complete podcast experience that can really appeal to your audience and make your podcast even more interesting. Aspects of production also include who will be the host? Will there be any different interviews set up or just a weekly informative talk show? Things like these are very important to consider when producing and setting up your podcast for future success.
While there is never one way to execute a successful viable content initiative, I believe our success is tied to the following factors:
