You have questions about podcast planning and I have answers! In today’s bonus episode, I’m answering 10 of the most commonly asked questions around planning a podcast!
Clocking In with Haylee Gaffin is produced by Gaffin Creative, a podcast production company for creative entrepreneurs. Learn more about our services at Gaffincreative.com, plus you’ll also find resources, show notes, and more for the Clocking In Podcast.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Mic Check Society, our community for podcasters who are looking to take their podcast from good to great. Come join us for educational trainings, a private member’s only community, and monthly calls! Get $10 off per month with code PODCAST at micchecksociety.com.
Today we are going through 10 of the most common questions I get about planning a podcast. We are going to do a quick run through of each of these while covering some resources you can access if you want to dig a little deeper.
- What type of gear and equipment do I need to start a podcast?
Over on the blog we have a list of the equipment that we use for Clocking In, you can find that here. That includes a Shure SM58-LC Cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone, On-Stage Foam Ball-Type Microphone Windscreen, a convertible cable, microphone stands for my desk as well as one for the floor, and I also recommend headphones.
There are some other podcasting mics that I also recommend, Shure and Rhode make great mics.
- How do I record and edit my podcast?
There are so many ways to do it! My advice is to go simple, no need to get crazy with it. You likely already have the gear you need to record and edit your podcast. There are tools you can upgrade to and advance to. But, my recommendation for beginners is to use garageband. If you have a Macbook, you already have it on your computer. It’s super easy and intuitive to use. In addition to that, if you’re recording interviews remotely, I recommend Riverside. Their features are amazing, they were created to fix all of the remote recording issues.
In the Podcast Launch Kit, you can find more in-depth coverage on how to DIY your podcast.
- How long should my podcast episodes be?
There isn’t a standard rule for this. But, in my experience, I have found that solo episodes shouldn’t be longer than 20 minutes. It’s okay if it goes over sometimes. For interviews, I say about 45 minutes. I know there are plenty of podcasts that go over that, and that’s fine. But, if you’re trying to keep people engaged, you have to be considerate of your time.
- How often should I release episodes?
This answer really comes down to consistency and your schedule. You don’t want to experience podfade, where a podcast launches and the podcaster gets so excited then burnt out and stops releasing. What you should do is to look at how long it takes you to create an episode. What are you outsourcing, how often can you realistically release a quality episode?
If you can’t do weekly episodes, that’s okay. Many podcasters do really well with biweekly and even monthly podcasts. It really comes down to you and the amount of time you have. How high quality of episodes can you do, consistently, at the rate you release?
Stay consistent and you set the expectation with your audience.
- How do I get my podcast on platforms like Apple and Spotify?
The easiest way to do this is to go through a podcast hosting platform, I use Acast. There are quite a few tools that work well also. In this platform you create an RSS feed within that hosting tool and then you submit your podcast to all the players. Once that feed is submitted to all the players, every time you schedule and release an episode, it will be distributed to all players.
- Can I make money from podcasting?
Yes! You can. There are plenty of ways to make money from podcasting and there are more opportunities as the industry grows. The three primary ways that I’ve seen people make money podcasting is affiliate marketing, podcast sponsorships, and marketing your own business.
- Do I need to have guests on my podcast?
Not necessarily. Clocking In went a full year without having guests, and it was successful. You don’t have to have guests, it depends on your podcast and your goals. If guests can add value that you aren’t able to, then guests are kind of a necessity. When you are creating solo episodes for your brand there are a few benefits : you can connect with your audience, you control the message, flexibility in your schedule, and you control what’s going on behind the scenes. Guest episodes are beneficial as well. Guests can drive more people to the episodes because you are reaching audiences that you might not have before.
- How do I ensure my podcast has high quality audio?
Audio quality can make or break a podcast, in my opinion. When it comes to audio quality, it starts with your gear and your environment you record in. Check out Mic Check Society for an in-depth lesson on quality audio.
- How do I measure the success of my podcast?
This is one of my favorite questions. What you need to do is look at the goals of your podcast. If you are trying to make a profit, trying to build a listenership, trying to sell products or services, or maybe just trying to grow an audience in order to pitch sponsorships. Whatever your goals are, you need to set them in the beginning before you try to define success for your podcast.
- How do I drive people to listen to my podcast?
This can be easy to answer but hard to implement. Driving people to your podcast only requires you to talk about it. Really. Drive people there in the beginning. You have a timeframe of four weeks after launch to build hype. During those few weeks you are going to establish those long term listeners. If you are about to launch, make sure you have a solid launch plan in place. Think of what your listener wants to hear, and use that to drive them to your podcast. What is it that will entice them to come listen? Test it out, follow engagement trends. To get people to listen you need to talk about it and also repurposing podcast content.
Mentioned in this episode:
Podcast Gear: https://gaffincreative.com/podcast-equipment-for-beginners/
Shure Podcast Microphone: https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/mv7?variant=MV7-K
Podcast Frequency: https://gaffincreative.com/how-often-should-you-release-podcast-episodes/
Scaling Back/Taking a Break fromYour Podcast: https://gaffincreative.com/taking-a-break-from-your-podcast/
Getting on Podcast Players: https://gaffincreative.com/how-do-i-get-my-podcast-on-podcast-players/
How to Monetize: https://gaffincreative.com/how-to-monetize-your-podcast/
Benefits of Solo Episodes: https://gaffincreative.com/the-benefits-of-publishing-solo-podcast-episodes/
Measuring Success: https://gaffincreative.com/how-to-measure-the-success-of-your-podcast/
Connect with Haylee:
Check out the show notes:
What type of gear and equipment do I need to start a podcast? (1:46)
How do I record and edit my podcast? (2:48)
How long should my podcast episodes be? (4:09)
How often should I release episodes? (4:58)
How do I get my podcast on platforms? (6:45)
Can I make money from podcasting? (7:38)
Do I need to have guests on my podcast? (8:45)
How do I ensure my podcast has high quality audio? (10:20)
How do I measure the success of my podcast? (11:23)
How do I drive people to listen to my podcast? (12:44)
