When you’re running a blog, you always need to be proactive in coming up with exciting new ideas for your readers. In today’s content-crazy landscape, it helps to go beyond just blog articles.
A lot of bloggers expand their reach by using social media, writing eBooks, and creating videos. But one of the best ways to take your blog further is with a podcast.People love to listen to podcasts by their favorite bloggers. You can entertain your fans and talk about your interests and areas of expertise. What’s more, it’s easy to set up, and it’s a great way to rock your blogging career. Here’s some advice to get you started.
Plan Your Podcast
First of all, you need to decide what your podcast will be about. It should be in line with whatever your blog’s about. For instance, if you have a personal finance blog, make a podcast for money tips.
If you have a traveling blog, your podcast could be for discussing the best destinations.
You’ll also need charismatic co-hosts. Perhaps you have other people working on your blog with you who’d like to join in.
You could also ask other bloggers with similar blogs. Not only can they add more to the podcast, but you can also promote it together.
With all that in place, come up with a catchy title and synopsis. Make people want to tune in to whatever you’re saying.
Use the right tools:
Here are some tools you need if you want to host a professional podcast:
General resources
Fiverr – have others help you. Buy ‘tasks’ for just $5. They can help you with design, writing, recording, editing etc.
Convertkit: Use it as an opt-in form for fans of your podcast to receive podcasts earlier and to send newsletters to keep people engaged.
Moo – Save 10% off your next order at moo.com.
Media Kit Templates – pitch companies with your media kit to attract sponsors
Later or Planoly: Schedule your Instagram photos
Tailwind: schedule your Pinterest pins
NameCheap – buy your domain name for cheap
Evernote -organizee your thoughts and notes with Evernote
Podcast Hosting
Libsyn – to host your podcast
Web Hosting (the ‘home’ of your podcast)
Bluehost – Cheap WordPress Hosting to run your site on
WP Engine – WordPress hosting for when you site grows
Pretty link – easily forward your listeners to your affiliate links
Design
Learn
Making Sense Out Of Affiliate Marketing shows you how to make money with affiliate marketing, a strategy almost ALL profitable podcasts use
Udemy – find thousands of courses to grow your knoledge
Come Up With Episode Ideas And Get Guests
Interesting episode ideas can also make people listen to your blog. Perhaps you want to pose it as a question, for example: “Episode 1: How Can Businesses Market Themselves For Cheap?” Make it appeal to your target audience and plan your episode around it.
Guests are also a standard fixture in podcasts. Once again, you could reach out to other bloggers to join the discussion with you and your co-hosts. You could also ask social media gurus or even influential people in your field. Use social media or email to invite guests to your show.
Keep the episode running smoothly by having talking points and questions. Don’t be afraid to go off-script, though.
Record And Upload
There are a few ways you can record your podcast. You could do it remotely, via Skype, and use recording tools. It’s useful for talking with guests from around the world. Some people create home studios for podcast recording, but this can take a lot more money and effort.
Once you’ve finished recording your podcast (most last around 1-2 hours, although you might want to edit it down), it’s time to upload it. Soundcloud is a great platform for podcasts- you can upload recordings for free and embed them on your site.
YouTube is also useful. You should also upload it to iTunes- many people use their platform to listen to podcasts. Having your podcast in different places can help more people access it.
Promote!
Once your podcast is up and running, start getting the word out there. Post the link on your social media networks and make a blog about it for your readers. Send press releases and make sales out of it, and don’t forget to email your newsletter subscribers!
Download your free guide 40+ ways to promote your content for free here:
It also helps to ask your readers what they’d like to see in future episodes. They can give you ideas for future subjects and guests to improve your podcast.
Keep improving and impressing your guests. If your podcast takes off, it can even become profitable. Companies often pay popular podcasts to promote products or talk about their business.