Best Way To Start a Podcast

More and more people are discovering the joy of podcasts, and that’s creating new opportunities for businesses and content creators who have something interesting to say.

At Upwork, we have hands-on experience with two podcasts: “Back to Better”, a six-episode series that explored how companies were adapting and growing during the COVID-19 crises, and “Work Unlocked”, a new podcast that’s set to launch later this summer.

In this article, we’ll share some of the lessons we’ve learned as we look at the nuts and bolts of starting a podcast, from research and logistics to launch and future planning.

1. Find your topic and niche

Podcast listeners will give you the rare gift of their time and attention regularly. What will you give them in return? From day one, it’s important to get a clear understanding of why your podcast exists and why people will tune in—not just once, but repeatedly.

Here are a few important considerations to keep in mind.

‍Choose something you’re passionate about

Authority and experience are helpful when choosing a topic to focus on, but passion should be the deciding factor. Consider the following:

• What are your areas of expertise?
• What unique perspective can you offer?
• How can you add value to the existing conversation?
• What’s your potential for bringing on guests—and whom?
• What’s the potential for monetization around your theme?
• Who is the audience you want to reach?

Understand how your podcast fits within the existing conversation

Competitor research will help you figure out how your show will stand out from other podcasts in the same space. Take a close look at other podcasts with the same target audience as you:

• How big is the community that’s built up around each show?
• When you listen to different podcasts, what aspects do you like or dislike?
• How do they promote their podcast?
• How can you do better?
  

Exploring these questions won’t just help you zoom in on a particular topic. The answers can also influence decisions such as length, format, tone, frequency, branding, and marketing.‍

Identify who your listeners will be

We’ll dig into audience research next, but keep your listener top of mind as you plan how your podcast will come together. Without them, your podcast won’t get very far.

2. Research your audience

The better you understand who you’re speaking to, and what matters to them, the more effectively you’ll be able to close the distance between you.

But how do you figure out who your audience will be?

Two types of data will give you valuable information for your listener profile: demographics and psychographics.

• Demographics are the broad characteristics that describe someone, such as their age, location, gender identity, primary language, and household income. This is a high-level way to organize who is or isn’t likely to be interested in your podcast.

• Psychographics explore more individual traits such as personal interests, aspirations, values, beliefs, opinions, and behaviors. This can help you form insights such as your listeners’ biggest challenges, what it takes to earn their trust, and how you can share information in a way that’s meaningful to them.

There are lots of ways to collect demographic and psychographic information. For example:

• Review surveys and reports that are related to your industry or topic and have a look at the survey sample demographics
• Analyze competing podcasts to see what you can learn about their audience
• Interview people who fit your ideal listener profile to solicit their ideas and input
• Do a deep dive on social media to see what conversations are happening around your topic and who’s participating
• Ask your customer service and salespeople for insights from the conversations they have every day

If the podcast is tied to a brand, beware of traps! It’s easy to assume that you have your audience nailed down because you understand who your customer is. However, even if there’s overlap, the need that draws someone to your business can be very different from the value that will motivate them to download your podcast every Tuesday afternoon.

3. Set KPIs and start thinking about monetization early on

As you define your plan for podcast success, keep the end in mind: What’s your long-term vision and how will you measure your progress along the way?

Before we get into podcast metrics, let’s talk about setting expectations—particularly when your podcast is new, shiny, and (importantly) undiscovered. It takes time to get attention and build a following and, while you should aim high, it’s also important to be realistic.

As you gain momentum, you’ll be able to track more meaningful insights—and leverage that information in other ways, including monetization.

Key performance indicators examples

Key performance indicators (KPIs) help you measure and track whether your efforts are moving your podcast in the right direction.

A good KPI meets SMART criteria, which means it should be:

• Specific with a very clear target that you can either hit or miss
• Measurable using quantifiable (i.e., non-negotiable) data
• Attainable and can reasonably be achieved within the defined timeline
• Relevant to long-term goals and/or overall business objectives
• Time-limited to a specific period
  

The KPIs for your podcast should make it easy to track its growth. However, depending on your organization’s broader business goals, you may also want to measure other factors.

Here are some common areas of focus and examples of KPIs to track:

• Overall performance (i.e., number of listens or subscribers)
• Audience statistics (i.e., growth within a particular demographic)
• Episode-specific performance (i.e., time spent listening)
• Audience engagement (i.e., comments or shares)
• Podcast input (i.e., time to produce each episode)
• Popular content (i.e., “hot topics” to cover again or episodes to amplify)
• Marketing effectiveness (i.e., which tactics bring in more new listeners)
• Budget metrics (i.e., cost to produce)
• Income metrics (i.e., advertising income or in-kind value of partnerships)

To get more comprehensive feedback, the team at Upwork identified an ecosystem of data points: “We built a podcast landing page and tracked visitor information, such as views and click-throughs,” said Patricia Tormey, a marketing manager at Upwork.

“We tracked promotional campaigns—such as emails and social engagement—and compared results to other campaigns. Then, we created email templates for sales enablement and noted how often they were used as well as click-through and response rates.”

Good KPIs—and good data—can help you improve your creative process, lean into the show’s strengths, and make better decisions about what to do next. You can also leverage this data to create new opportunities with potential advertisers, guests, and partners.

Monetizing your podcast

‍When it comes to earning money through a podcast, advertising is often the first thing that comes to mind—but it’s far from the only option.

“Advertising spots add credibility to a podcast but there are a few different ways to think about it—it isn’t just about selling ads,” said Tormey. “For example, you can do reciprocal promotions with ‘friendly’ podcasts that reach a similar audience or use advertising spots as an incentive for high-value guests.”

Other ideas for generating income include:

• Adopting a subscription model with exclusive content and bonuses for paid subscribers
• Repurposing episodes into paid products, such as books or premium compilations of curated content
• Soliciting sponsorships from partners or products
• Using your podcast as a platform to pitch online courses or paid speaking gigs
  

Whatever your approach, relevance is key to monetizing a podcast—as is listening to feedback. ‍

4. Choose your podcast name

Naming a podcast is a careful art form that aims to find a sweet spot among a variety of different considerations. Ideally, the title should be:

• Easy to understand
• Optimized for the topic so it’s easy to discover in search
• Memorable and easy to search for
• Related to the overall brand (if relevant)
• Evergreen
• Unique to your podcast

Beyond that, it also needs to stand out on its own in any directory or list.

“To land on the name ‘Work Unlocked’ for our new podcast, we started really wide and continually narrowed our choices,” said Tormey.

“First, we identified three high-level criteria and used those as buckets to organize our initial ideas,” she said. “We measured the ideas in each bucket against our goals for the show, then sent our top picks to Upwork’s creative team for a quick mock-up of the cover art.”

Those mock-ups were key to the decision-making process—with good reason: It’s up to your cover art to make a good first impression.

5. Prioritize your cover art and brand assets

Cover art—alongside show and episode descriptions—plays a critical role in getting attention and inspiring confidence.

Branding may seem like something to prioritize later, at least once you know what the end product will be. But the design was a deciding factor when naming Upwork’s podcasts:

• The artwork needed to pop
• The title needed to be visible and easy to read
• The overall style needed to be in sync with Upwork’s overall brand
• The visuals needed to look great in different contexts (i.e., on a website)

While you can take a DIY approach, a professional graphic designer will design a brand identity and cover art that you can build on by adding other brand assets as your episode count goes up.

Your post-launch to-do list might include:

• A landing page. Creating an online hub gives you the flexibility to do more. You can embed episodes, publish show notes, and add transcripts to episode-specific pages that are perfect for search engine optimization (SEO). You can promote popular episodes, drive subscriptions, grow your email list, and link to other resources.
• A social media profile. A social media presence makes it easier for people to share episodes or tag you in posts, and it’s a more direct way to interact with your listeners. Before creating a Facebook or LinkedIn group, however, it can be helpful to establish an audience and get to know their preferences, then choose the network your fans use most.
• An email list. Building an email list may not be a top priority and, if your podcast is attached to an existing brand, you may have an email distribution list already. However, if it does fit your business strategy, a strong email list can help you grow and monetize your podcast down the road.

6. Set the format and tone of your podcast

The format or style you choose for your podcast will set much of the framework for how your podcast comes together logistically and, ultimately, whether listeners will keep coming back.

First, what’s the best way to deliver the information you want to share? Here are some of the more popular formats:

• Solo: Just you and the mic.
• Co-host: You partner up with a colleague who can split roles, share different perspectives, and exchange banter during each episode.
• Interview: The traditional talk show host/guest match-up we’re used to seeing on TV. This can be done with a single guest or with a panel.
• Storytelling: Feature one story per episode or spread it out over the arc of an entire series. Use a documentary style or dramatize it. While this format hinges on a good story, it has a lot of variations.

Your podcast isn’t necessarily locked into one particular format. For example, podcasts that are typically co-hosted often swap in episodes that follow a solo or interview format. However, deciding on a preferred format when you start can help guide other decisions about your podcast’s production.

Should your podcast be scripted or unscripted?

Recording a scripted podcast can give you better control over the content and flow of each podcast episode. If timing and production or editing need to be a tight fit, a detailed script may even be essential.

But relying on a script can also hold you back. Here’s a look at some of the things to consider.

Pros of having a podcast script:

• For some formats, like dramatized storytelling, it may be necessary.
• It provides a clear roadmap for each episode.
• You can fine-tune the language used and ensure its accuracy.
• It keeps you on track when you’re discussing topics that are complex or unfamiliar.
• It can contribute to a more professional recording with less repetition and fewer mistakes.

Cons of having a podcast script:

• For some formats, such as an interview, a script could sound unnatural. It can also be hard to avoid sounding like you’re reading a script, which can take the energy out of your recording.
• It takes time and know-how to write an effective script. You may not be the best person to pull it together.

You do have the option to engage a professional script writer. Following a script can help you get a feel for the production process as you find your footing and gain confidence with the mic.

That said, many experienced hosts prefer working off speaking notes or mindmaps—outlines that are solid enough to keep the episode on track but open enough to allow for spontaneity and natural conversation.

How podcast tone can complement your content

A podcast isn’t just about what you have to say—the tone of how you say it can help or hinder impressions of the show.

Tone refers to the overall character of your podcast and how it makes people feel. Some elements that can move the needle in one direction or another include:

• The pitch of the host’s voice. A lower tone of voice can be reassuring while a higher tone of voice can convey more energy and excitement.
• Interactions with other participants. If the podcast has a co-host or regularly includes segments led by others, the banter between participants can also set a vibe. That said, different personalities can be used to bring different characteristics to the show. For example, the host could use more casual delivery while an expert-led segment could take a more formal approach.
• Conversation speed. A slow-but-steady delivery of information can come across as formal or “newsy” while a natural pace can feel more relaxed.
• Word choices. Using neutral language can give a podcast a more journalistic feel while including slang or personal anecdotes can make it feel more intimate.
• The visuals selected for each episode. This includes your cover art and brand assets as well as any visuals you might include with a blog post or promotional video.

Another powerful consideration? The soundtrack. As we’ll discuss in the next section, music and sound effects can help set the mood.

7. Select the music

Music sparks emotions and can be a great way to introduce your show, separate different segments, or underscore your message. It can also be a fun way to introduce new music to your listeners, but there are benefits to keeping your soundtrack consistent.

Here are a few things to consider as you decide what sound design is right for your show.

Pros of keeping your music consistent:

• It encourages familiarity and easy recognition as people get to know the tune.
• It immediately sets the mood for your show’s theme and draws your listener into the space you’re creating.
• It becomes part of your brand: If you expand onto other platforms or even into new shows, a consistent style can be as important to your brand as your logo.

Cons of keeping your music consistent:

• You oversimplify the soundtrack. A consistent intro is good but sticking to the same music, regardless of content, can detract from your message.
• The same music may not always match the topic, which could be jarring or even put listeners off.
• It may not feel appropriate across platforms. For example, music that seems a perfect fit for your audio podcast may seem disjointed once you add visuals.

8. Determine the length of your podcast

There is no standard length for a podcast—they can run from five minutes to an hour or more. Even the same podcast may vary the length from one episode to the next. However, the routine can be important for earning repeat listeners and it’s helpful to set expectations by being consistent.

So what length should you aim for with your show? Here are a few things to consider:‍

What’s the format and focus of your podcast?

A podcast that promises daily tips, such as Before Breakfast, is ideal in snippets that are just a few minutes long. But if you feature in-depth interviews, a few minutes will barely get your listeners past the introductions.‍

How in-depth do you want to go?

The Atlas Obscura podcast, which features a different topic in each episode, typically runs 10-15 minutes—enough to share something cool without taking a really deep dive into its history.

That said, if you have enough content to deliver an engaging 30-minute show, cutting it to 20 minutes may rob your listeners of some great information and be unnecessarily time-consuming.

What are the habits of your listeners?

Many people rely on podcasts to keep them entertained during their daily routine: their commute, their workout at the gym, while they do chores. How do you think your podcast will fit into your audience’s day or week? You can rethink this as you collect more data about listener behavior.

What can you deliver?

Keep in mind what’s realistic for you. A 40-minute show may be more achievable every week than a daily cadence, particularly if your format relies on interviews, co-hosts, or a lot of editing. It’s important to factor in other considerations, but you don’t want to set an ambitious pace that falls apart after your first burst of episodes.

9. Determine the publishing schedule of your podcast

A consistent publishing schedule can help you create and sustain momentum—something that benefits you as much as your audience.

For listeners, a regular cadence can help set expectations, build trust, and shape your reputation. From a production point of view, it can help you plan and maximize your efforts.

As with finding a good length, there are several factors to consider when setting a schedule—from your content and strategy to your target audience.

The latest statistics from Buzzsprout show that 37% of episodes publish every 3-7 days, while 40% of podcasts publish every 8-14 days. If your content is particularly time-sensitive, you may want to publish more frequently; if it’s evergreen, a less frequent basis might be fine.

10. Select recording equipment

You don’t need to have a fancy studio or expensive equipment to start a podcast and there’s just one main consideration when you’re debating where to spend your money: You need to record clear, high-quality audio.

This requires a few essentials:

1. A high-quality microphone. A USB plug ‘n play microphone is the most straightforward choice: there are lots of models available that are easy to set up and designed to capture clear sound.
2. A computer equipped with a digital audio workstation (DAW)—software to record, edit, and produce your podcast. If you plan to incorporate phone interviews, you may need additional software to capture clear and reliable recordings of those conversations. Upwork uses Zencaster to record interviews.
3. A quiet space to record. A bit of white noise might be fine, but make sure it isn’t distracting. It might be worth investing in sound-absorbing panels, but at first, it’s generally okay to record in a closet or use a DIY solution like blankets to dampen noise.

Once you’re up and running, you can decide whether there are gaps in your recording setup and upgrade your gear as needed.

11. Select editing software or hire an editor

Post-production isn’t just about adding a theme song before you publish. The audio editing itself can be a make or break factor. Above all, the final product needs to tell a compelling story and sound great!

What are your options for a good DAW to put your show together? Here are a few suggestions:

• Audacity is an open-source program that’s free and packed with all the features you’ll need to get started.
• GarageBand is for Apple users only, but it’s included for free with macOS and iOS devices. It’s somewhat more user-friendly than Audacity and is also a solid option for new podcast producers.
• Adobe Audition is a professional-level DAW that’s expensive and likely feature-heavy for new podcasters—but it’s included if you’re already an Adobe Creative Suite user.
• Descript is a great option for beginners and a cool tool to check out: It uses machine learning to quickly put together a transcription and you can edit the audio track by editing the text.
• Auphonic is another tool that leverages newer technology to produce a solid podcast: It uses AI-based algorithms to clean up and level out your audio tracks.

If you want to keep your focus on the content, consider getting help from an experienced podcast editor to take care of the technical aspects and produce a podcast that sounds great every time.

12. Do test runs

Plan to do a test run of your podcast with a small group that will give you honest feedback. If possible, this trial group should include people from your target audience.

Early feedback can help you spot missteps before they can flare up or hold your podcast back. It’s best to gather as much input as possible ahead of launch.

Prompt the test audience for their feedback on:

• The podcast name and cover art. Do they convey the theme effectively and contribute to the impression you want to make?
• The style and pace of each episode. Is it the right length? Does the host’s narrative—or banter between participants—hold the listener’s attention?
• How well do the topics fit with the overall theme of the show?
• Sound quality from start to finish. Is the audio clear? Are the levels even throughout?
• Does the soundtrack suit the visual branding, podcast theme, and content?

If your podcast is part of an existing business, connect with colleagues and existing customers to ask:

• How well does the podcast resonate with them?
• Do they have ideas to link the podcast more strongly to other business activities?

If you skip testing and miss out on this qualitative feedback, you’ll have to rely on performance statistics. However, while quantitative metrics may show if there’s a problem (i.e., listeners dropping off during an episode), they can’t always help you pinpoint the actual issue.

13. Choose where to publish your podcast

For a new podcast, the question is less about where to publish than how: You must have an RSS feed for your show. RSS, or Simple Syndication, is a standardized way to distribute content. For example, you may use an RSS reader to keep up with your favorite blogs.

In the context of your new podcast, an RSS feed makes it easy to share your audio file and all the essential related data—such as title, author, cover image, and description—in a computer-readable format that can then be used to promote your podcast across multiple apps and websites.‍

Your first step? Find a podcast host.

It’s generally a bad idea to backpack off your existing web host or online storage provider. It may seem easy enough to drop the audio file onto a server, but you can quickly run into issues such as bandwidth and download speed. You could also be going against your terms of service and risk crashing your website. Not good.

A purpose-built media host is optimized to avoid these problems and will provide an RSS feed that’s made to specifications.

Some common podcast hosts include:

• Libsyn
• Blubrry
• Buzzsprout
• Spreaker
  

Once you have the RSS feed set up, you can add your show to podcast directories—a great way to reach new listeners and get discovered. Some podcast hosts, such as Blubrry, are also popular directories. And some directories, like Castro, have their apps.

Some popular podcast directories include:

• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• Digital Podcast Network

You can also grab extra attention by sharing your podcast on YouTube or even Facebook. These sites aren’t currently optimized for audio but, with so much traffic, it can still be helpful to circulate your show there.

14. Make transcriptions

Publishing transcriptions of your podcast can improve its accessibility, making your content available to a broader range of people while also making it search engine friendly.

A transcript also makes it much easier for your podcast to show up in search results.

Google started indexing podcasts in 2019 by automatically transcribing all the episodes it found. But don’t rely on Google to do the work! You can use a service like Rev or Descript—the editing software mentioned above—to streamline the process.

Transcription in hand, you can then refine it to support your SEO strategies, such as optimizing it for keywords, meta tags, and the URL.

15. Promote your episodes

Even the best-produced podcast can quickly wither if you miss a critical part of planning: Launching it with a smart promotional plan to get it in front of as many potential listeners as possible.

There are many different tactics you can use to grow an audience. It’s important to incorporate social media, landing pages, and other tools into your promotional strategy at some point. But there are other things you can do—including some with a more direct pay-off.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Launch with multiple episodes so people can get a good sense of where your podcast is going and get excited about future episodes.
• Find ways to share audio clips anywhere you can. For example, you can republish podcast episodes to a YouTube channel or create snippets that are easy to share on social networks.
• Turn catchy quotes, key insights, and top tips from your podcasts into short videos or images that can be used to promote each episode via social media or blog posts.
• Partner with other podcast hosts to cross-promote shows or even swap interviews.
• Make the most of other suggestions on this list, such as reworking transcriptions for SEO and making sure your show has been submitted to the most popular podcast directories.

Leverage social media

You don’t necessarily need to set up social media accounts for your new podcast from launch. It can be better to target your efforts only after you figure out which channels your ideal listeners use most.

Not having a branded account doesn’t mean you can’t use sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You just need to get creative:

• Create a promo kit of blog posts, images, and videos that can be shared on your accounts and by others—including your guests
• If the podcast is tied to a business, coordinate with the social media team to promote episodes on branded accounts (and ask for their promo tips!)
• Share episodes in relevant communities on Reddit
• Ask guests and interviewees to promote upcoming episodes through their social presence
• Encourage your network—friends, colleagues, podcast collaborators—to share each episode through their accounts
• Link to the podcast from your social media bios

Embed your podcast on your website and other relevant sites

While you may not need a landing page at launch, including a website or dedicated page in your longer-term promotional strategy can help make your podcast more discoverable via search and easier to share.

For example:

• You can create an accessible and SEO-friendly page for each episode by embedding a player directly on the page alongside show notes and an optimized transcript.
• Take advantage of traffic by promoting popular episodes, driving people to subscribe, growing your email list, and linking to other resources.
  

Embedding podcast episodes onto your site can be helpful, but there are also benefits to embedding it on other websites: Not only can people listen to your podcast from the page, but they can also learn more about it or subscribe directly through the player.

It may be tricky to find other sites that will embed your podcast, but you can pitch the idea to industry-specific content sites or include it in negotiations with featured guests and sponsors.‍

16. Review your analytics

In the next section, we’ll look at the importance of direct feedback from listeners. But you’ll also get solid insights by reviewing your podcast analytics regularly.

Data can come from your hosting platform, through tools provided by individual podcast directories, or even from your website’s Google Analytics. But what are good measurements to track? Here’s a look at the type of data you might want to follow.‍

Number of listeners

There are two groups of listeners: The number of people who listen to individual episodes and the number of podcast followers or subscribers. Both numbers are important, but at the beginning focus more on your total listeners. For example:

• Is this number going up or down?
• Are there spikes around particular dates or periods?
• What are the top episodes or topics so far?‍

Individual episode performance

Tracking the number of listeners is a good starting point, but the real lessons come from exploring how they listen to each episode. For example:

• What’s the average listening time?
• Where do your listeners drop off?
• How have people responded to changes in format?
  

Take a critical eye to your most popular episodes as well as the weaker ones to see what you can learn about listener preferences.

‍Listener behavior

Understanding listening methods can give you a richer understanding of who your audience is and how your podcast fits. For example:

• When do listeners typically play your podcast?
• Do people tune in through an app or an embedded player in a browser?
• Which episodes have racked up shares and where were they shared?

Listener information

As your audience grows you can reassess the assumptions you made when you first launched your podcast. For example:

• Where are your listeners from geographically?
• What OS and/or devices do your listeners use?
• What are the broad demographics of your listeners?

This kind of information can be particularly important as you look toward monetization since advertisers and sponsors will want to know about your reach and audience.

‍17. Keep testing, keep learning, keep growing

As your podcast gains traction, you’ll get the benefit of better data, broader feedback, and new opportunities to refine what you’re doing and expand your efforts in new ways.

Ask for feedback regularly but also make time for a more formal survey—maybe once a year or between seasons—to solicit input on content, format, tone, schedule, and advertising. Look for patterns and gaps in your analytics for extra inspiration.

Layer feedback alongside your performance metrics and see where the two overlap to help you generate new ideas for future episodes. For example:

• A popular guest could come on board for a regular segment on the show.
• You could expand on an in-demand topic with a short series of related episodes, doing deep dives into areas of particular interest.
• For popular content that’s time-sensitive or seasonal, you could add regular updates to your schedule.

And don’t be afraid to try new things! Podcasts evolve, listeners and their preferences can change, and your interests may shift. Earlier, we looked at ideas to help you monetize your podcast, but there are other ways to expand outward. For example:

• Add podcast episodes to YouTube. Once established, some hosts start sharing video segments in addition to their regular podcasts as a new way to draw in a new audience.
• Create a Facebook or LinkedIn group to build a valuable community where listeners can learn and network.

By keeping an eye on performance and feedback, you can try new things, measure how people respond, and double down on the ideas that generate the results you’re looking for.

Examples of brands doing well in podcasting

Camp Monsters, Take It From Me, and Wildfire by REI Co-Op

The mecca for camping gear and outdoor activities has a series of podcasts ranging from Camp Monsters, which shares stories of some of the wildest encounters at the camp, to Wildfire, which documents an investigation of a wildfire from 2017. Take It From Me introduces individuals who made the outdoors a way of life, trading in desk jobs to chase their passions outdoors.

These podcasts demonstrate the brand’s values, and love of the outdoors, and inspire readers to go out and do what they love (or maybe listen while they do).

Fantasy Football Today by CBS Sports

Fantasy football is a huge industry that’s typically reserved for the online space—but that doesn’t mean broadcast networks can’t get in on the game and give TV viewers some sideline tips for the other screen they’re watching during the game. The Fantasy Football Today podcast offers fans a leg-up each week with tips on who to bench and who to start, news about injuries, answers to emails, and more.

The Message by General Electric (GE)

No stranger to innovation, GE was an early experimenter with branded podcasts, releasing a science fiction thriller, The Message, about cryptographers investigating mysterious transmissions.

Launchers by Patrick Antinozzi, RapidWebLaunch

For Patrick Antinozzi of RapidWebLaunch, starting the Launchers podcast was a natural next step for his content marketing efforts. He cites the ease of repurposing content and the prominent role voice search is projected to play in search rankings among the major factors in his decision to launch a podcast.

Conclusion

Launching a podcast is an adventure: You can’t see what the road ahead will bring, you’re bound to take detours, and you never know what lessons you’ll pick up along the way. Ultimately, you may even change your destination.

With a clear vision of what you want your podcast to accomplish and what you think it will take to succeed, you’ll be better prepared to make smart adjustments when your metrics or your listeners indicate that you should.