It seems like everyone and their brother has a podcast these days. While podcasting isn't quite as saturated of a market as something like YouTube, there are still millions of podcasts.
How can you make sure that your podcast stands out?
There are a ton of podcast best practices you can follow, but let's actually flip the script. Instead of breaking down what you should be doing, let's talk about what you shouldn't be doing - essentially, the most common podcaster mistakes.
We aren't into negativity here though, so we'll certainly be telling you how to avoid the biggest podcast mistakes. And, in doing so, you'll also learn some tips on how to separate your podcast from the crowd.
Let's get into it.
Key Takeaways:
The number one goal of this article is to identify the top mistakes that podcasters make and how to avoid them. This includes recording, marketing, and financial mistakes.
Table of Contents:
This is a harsh truth but also one of the most important pieces of information you should take away from this article: no value of content is going to make up for terrible audio.
It’s like they say: you can’t exercise a bad diet. In this case, audio is your diet. It is an audio platform, after all.
That’s not to say your podcast needs to sound like you’re recording in a 6 figure studio with top-of-the-line equipment. That isn’t the case at all.
However, when your audio sounds like you’re doing a Zoom recording in the middle of a basketball gym, you’re going to quickly lose some listeners.
Even cheaper end microphones like the Blue Ice Snowball can sound fine as long as you’re in a decently padded room with blankets and carpets.
Sound foam doesn’t hurt, either!
If you can’t accommodate this, that doesn’t mean you should completely give up on podcasting.
Just be aware of how important sound quality truly is to an enjoyable experience for listeners and don’t assume what you have to say will keep those headphones in their ears if the audio is lacking.
Sometimes you get excited when you begin a podcast, and you want to talk about this, and talk about that, and hey - I bet you have an opinion on that other thing, too.
While this may work fantastic for celebrities who already have a strong following and will immediately have listeners that are there for them, for the average person (aka - you and I), this is not the case.
If someone gives your podcast a chance while browsing through Apple Podcast, they are going to choose your podcast because of the topic not because of the host.
Unfortunately, that is just how things work. Maybe you win them over with your charm and they come back for episode two because they truly enjoyed you as a host - and that is wonderful! I hope that is the case.
But, here is something I had to ask myself when I hosted a variety podcast - Sure, they may like this week’s topic. But, if next week is something completely different, what makes me think they will stick around?
It seems obvious that it could be a podcast structural flaw, but honestly, if you didn’t immediately consider it you’re absolutely not alone. I didn’t either!
Here is what I learned: niche is key.
Niche gives you an environment where you can stretch your arms out and become a voice in. A niche allows you to hyper-focus on a string of great and valuable topics. A niche allows you to create your target audience.
My variety show podcast lasted 1 year and we had 2,000 downloads (with significant marketing). My next podcast was niche and we broke 2,000 downloads in 5 weeks.
If you are famous or become famous, disregard everything I just said! Otherwise, pick a topic and don’t be afraid to double down. Doing a video game podcast? Why not make it a horror video game podcast?
Doing a sports podcast? Why not make it an NBA podcast or about a specific team?
You might initially feel like you’re limiting yourself, but you’ll be shocked how much easier it is to come up with relevant content and attract consistent and loyal listeners.
If your podcast artwork doesn’t reflect the topic of your podcast, you are going to lose listeners that are browsing and searching for something new to listen to.
Think about it - there are millions of podcasts. As someone is searching through Apple or Spotify they are getting hit with dozens and dozens of shows.
If they can’t quickly identify what your podcast is about, let alone if your podcast fits what they are looking for, you’re limiting your reach.
Your artwork is the visual representation of your podcast.
The best part is you don’t even have to go insane with your podcast artwork. Choose a design that is simple, iconic, pops, and demonstrates your podcast topic.
Tip: Not sure if your artwork accomplishes this? Show it to a few friends who you may not have told about your podcast endeavor. Make sure to pick friends whose opinions you value. Ask them what they think this podcast would be about and truly consider their answers.
Here is a battle that many podcasters face: the witty title vs. the face-value title. Sometimes you come up with a pun that is absolutely perfect and you immediately jump on it.
However, you still have to consider that a major way people will be finding your podcast is through searching.
Transparently, I might be a little too SEO-based here, I’m sure you might get some opinions that a catchy, pun-filled podcast title works just fine.
And if the pun or the witty aspect of your podcast is perfect for your niche and it’s well understood, by all means, go for it.
Just throwing in my two cents.
In addition, avoid being too vague in your title. “The Tuesday Podcast,” for instance. What do you think it’s about? Sure, new episodes likely drop Tuesday. But what else? Why would you give it a chance?
Intro rambles are a pet peeve and a quick way to lose new listeners.
Have you ever clicked on a new podcast, started listening, and you’re hearing about the host's weekend, what recipe they tried last night, what crazy shenanigans their dogs got into, and before you know it - you’re 10 minutes into the podcast and there hasn’t been a single mention of the topic?
I mentioned it earlier, but just to reiterate: new listeners give your podcast a chance because of the topic, not because of you (unless it’s your mom, of course!).
Give your audience respect and jump into the meat of your episode content.
Tip: Actually, two tips for you. Does the random chit-chat at the beginning help you get in the groove? Do it; just delete it when you edit.
Tip 2: if you want to keep some personal content in the episode to help develop a relationship with your listeners, just push it toward the end.
That way, your listeners who only wanted the content can dip out. The ones that want in on the juicy personal life anecdotes can stay until the very last second of the episode.
Oh, tip 3? Why not. Want to know if those personal stories at the end are making a difference? Check your podcast analytics and see your listen time on episodes that have personal stories and discussion at the end.
If you notice even on episodes you talk about your own life at the end that your listen time doesn’t dip right after the content, you’re in good shape!
Editing is time-consuming, but unless you’re doing a live podcast or you have the ability to naturally avoid ums and uhs, you should be editing.
This is the time to eliminate throat noises, burps, ums, likes, and uhs. Also, you can add music, sound effects, transition sounds, and more.
Under-editing sometimes gets a pass as “I want my podcast to sound genuine like you’re sitting down with a friend and chatting.”
I totally understand this, but there are some sounds that definitely should not be on podcast audio. And, you don’t want this choice to be mistaken as lazy.
Now, on the other hand, don’t overproduce your show. If you cut breathing, spaces, and every imperfection it can change the tempo drastically and give off a strange vibe.
It’ll almost sound robotic.
Believe it or not, most podcasts require a lot of work to get off the ground. Unless you're a celebrity with a following or have an endless budget to outsource, you are the host/content creator/marketer/social media manager/guest booker/website creator/etc.
That is a lot of hats to fill.
There are three excellent ways to combat this feeling of being constantly overwhelmed by the workload:
1. Batch record your content: Batch recording allows you to take a breath during the entire process and be able to focus on the promotion and marketing side without having to stress about content creation.
Try to have three to four episodes in the bag at a time.
2. Structure your promotion: Having a schedule that fits your availability and niche is key. Think about the various posts you can do. That includes information posts, graphics, tips, "did you know" info, behind-the-scenes, trivia, deep dives on tangents, etc.
Then, structure it out so you know on Monday, you post this type of content every week, Tuesday, you post that type of content every week, and so on. It will help give you clarity so you don't wake up every day and ask yourself, what am I going to publish today?
3. Take some time to learn SEO: If you have the budget to run targeted ads, do so! It can be helpful. However, why not capitalize on a potential audience that is already searching for content that you produce?
There are a ton of ways to break down SEO and why/how it works, but in its simplest definition, you are trying to be visible to people searching for content relevant to your podcast. If your podcast is about kittens, you want someone searching for kittens to find your podcast. Simple as that.
Of course, the actual process of SEO isn't quite as simple. Take some time to discover best practices. YouTube and Twitter are full of free resources. If you need podcast marketing, there are options for that, too!
Not everyone has a major budget to advertise their podcast, I get that. However, if you truly know your target audience, you can establish really, really good ad campaigns that are so targeted that you don't need a huge budget.
We started off at $2 a day and grew our Instagram to over 5,000 followers in 4 months.
The better you target your ads, the less money you'll spend, and the better guarantee you're speaking to the right person in your ad copy.
Don't be afraid of that narrow-down function on Facebook Ads! If you're a podcast about Women's Soccer, narrow your target audience to women -> podcasts ->soccer. If you group them all together, Facebook will show your ad to a person that is just one of those variables, ie. just a woman.
However, if you use the narrow-down function, you will know that every single person that sees your ad is for sure a woman who has an interest in both podcasts and soccer.
Bonus Tip: Why did we go with IG? To be able to reach out. Facebook you can't reach out to a personal profile as a business page unless they DM you first. But, on IG, you can message anyone who isn't private. So, we switched our full attention to IG and made it a point to reach out to every single account that interacted with our ad and offered a link to listen.
If you struggle with running ads, we can help!
Do you regularly attend trade shows or events where you can mingle with potential listeners? If so, there is a good chance you've developed a business card for your podcast.
One commonly overlooked aspect to a solid podcast business card (or any business card, for that matter) is a QR code. Everyone uses smartphones, so why not give them immediate access to your podcast or website?
There are tons of ways to create your QR code, too!
It doesn't hurt to ask for reviews! While reviews are not a direct algorithm item that pushes your podcast up, people are likely to check and see what others think since diving into a new podcast can be a significant time commitment.
Whether it is at the beginning or the end of your podcast, ask your listeners to kindly leave a 5-star review.
Even if you don't plan on creating a monthly newsletter or have a current lead magnet in place, it's a good idea to start collecting listener emails.
Why?
Let's say your biggest platform is Twitter. You have 50,000+ followers, and every tweet gets thousands of likes and retweets. That is awesome, but what if one day Twitter disappears? What happens to your followers, then?
When you collect emails, you have complete and guaranteed access to your listeners. Think of it as a safety precaution, if nothing else. Also, if you do create a newsletter and you start getting a solid amount of engagement, you can start selling ad spots in your newsletter as an extra monetization opportunity.
This one may be a bit more complicated, but it is definitely worth the read.
If you have a website and it is hosted on WordPress, you definitely want your episodes/show notes to be your "posts." This is because of the built-in RSS function.
Just like how your podcast has an RSS and is delivered to Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, etc, you can automatically have your show notes sent to various platforms, too.
The best and most cost-effective way to do this is by using IFTTT. Essentially, you connect high domain authority platforms (such as Tumblr, Weebly, Blogger, etc) to your WordPress post's RSS. Therefore, just like how your episode automatically gets sent out to various platforms, your episode show notes will, too.
This is excellent for developing backlinks and increasing your opportunities to rank for your podcast episode keywords. You just have to make sure to create your Tumblr, Weebly, Blogger, etc, properties first and then connect them via IFTTT.
You certainly want the best audio quality possible, and I don't blame you for wanting the best of the best equipment, but so many podcasters find out within the first 8 episodes whether or not this creative outlet is for them.
My recommendation is to treat equipment like a reward. Did you make it 3 months without missing an episode? Pick up some nice headphones. Did you get your first 25 Apple Podcast reviews? Go get yourself an upgraded mic.
Investing in your podcast isn't a mistake; it's just important to know you're fully invested in the podcast before you start dropping big-time bills on equipment.
Plus, fun fact here - if you have a well-treated room, the equipment you use isn't super important. Seriously, a sound-treated space can make an amateur microphone sound pretty solid!
Choosing your podcast artwork can be stressful because, as you see from this blog post, there are a lot of factors you need to consider.
Do you feel like a little professional podcast consultation would go a long way?
That is great! In fact, we at Alien Waves Podcast Productions offer a FREE 30-minute consultation, and we'd be more than happy to discuss artwork design, take a look at mockups you have, and whatever else you'd like to discuss to get your podcast started in the right direction.
That is our specialty and we love nothing more than to help other podcasters grow.
If you'd like to have your artwork looked over by a team of professionals for free, or collaborate on custom podcast cover art, click below today.