Chapter 3: Planning for Great Podcasts
OK so you have chosen your niche and you have identified a number of problems that people in the niche have and know how to answer them. Surely it is time to start recording your podcasts now? Well not quite…
You need to plan your podcasts first. What does this mean? Well how will you brand yourself in the world of podcasting? This is more than just selecting a great name for your podcast or getting great cover art designed. It is about how you want your listeners to know your podcast. You need to get this right as it will set you up for success.
What is the Mission and Vision of your Podcast?
Before you start to record anything you need to establish a mission and vision for your podcasts. When you have done this then you are sure to create the right kind of content. To be sure we are on the same page here let’s define what we mean by a mission and vision.
Your mission is your goal for your podcast and how you intend to achieve this goal. A vision is how you want your podcasts to look in the future. Both of these are really important so you need to spend time on this. Once you have defined your mission and vision you can ensure that every published podcast aligns with them both.
Create a Community around your Brand
People love communities as it provides them with a sense of belonging. The best podcasters always foster a sense of community with their listeners. As an example of this there is a popular podcast series called “Entrepreneurs on Fire” by John Lee Dumas. He calls his listeners the “Fire Nation” to instill a sense of community.
So if you are going to create a podcast about online marketing you could call your audience the “Digital Marketing Geniuses” or something like that. If you are already “well known” on other channels and have a specific branding then keep this going on your podcasts. Be sure to set up all of your other channels if you don’t have them.
You want to do everything that you can to make all of your listeners feel very special. When they tune into your podcasts they feel great because they are part of the “Digital Marketing Genius” community or whatever you have called it.
So you need to put in a bit of time planning for your podcasts. This is time well spent as your listening audience will appreciate what you are trying to do for them. A strong community will always be on your side (unless you break your own rules) and they will want you to keep producing your great podcasts for a long time.
What kind of Personality and Voice?
Your podcasts are going to be a reflection of you. They will be unique because you are unique. You don’t want to sound like anybody else do you? So how can you make sure that you avoid that?
The best thing to do is to act naturally when recording your podcasts. Speak normally as you do in real life. There are no censors and nobody is there judging you. You may want to avoid using certain words if you think that they are not going to resonate well with your audience though!
You should always come up with a catchy tagline for your podcast. Add something about your niche in your tagline and make it unique and inspiring. Take your time over this as you want a tagline that is going to persuade new listeners to try out your podcasts.
Be Consistent
Your personal branding is not just limited to your podcasts. It is best to be consistent with all of the platforms that you use. Use the same branding on your website or blog, your Facebook page, your YouTube channel and any other platforms you use.
Get some good looking cover art created for your brand. If you don’t have any graphic design skills then head over to Fiverr.com and pay a few bucks to someone good to do this for you. Use this cover art on all of your platforms so that your audience will instantly recognize it no matter which one they are on.
If you don’t do this then you are going to confuse people. With different branding for your podcast and your social media channels for example, your audience will not be sure that they are on the right page for your stuff.