7 Reasons You Should Start a Podcast

sharonpiv
sharonpiv
Jul 28, 2017 · 5 min read

In celebration of my favorite online marketing mentor launching a new podcast today (the Launch Life by Jeff Walker — I HIGHLY recommend subbing to this one by the way), I thought I’d outline why you should launch your own podcast — AND how to do it.

So if you’ve ever thought about starting a podcast, here are the top 7 reasons you should stop contemplating and just do it already:

  1. Podcasting can position you as the expert and authority in your niche/industry. When people can hear your voice and listen to you giving advice, sharing strategies, concepts and tips about your topic, it not only demonstrates your competence, but creates a connection with your audience to position you as a go-to resource on your chosen topic.
  2. It gives people an alternate (and convenient) way to consume your content (instead of reading your newsletter or blog, or watching your videos — they can simply download your podcast to their phone and listen when it’s convenient for them — while commuting, at the gym, etc.)
  3. It takes waaaayyyy less time than a written post (just talk into your phone!) Plus, as an alternative to videos… there’s no need to worry about lighting, getting your outfit perfect, loading the teleprompter, etc.
  4. It provides potential new revenue sources… Your podcast episodes can be transcribed, edited, and packaged into a book. Or once your subscriber list is significant, you can get sponsors for your podcast as a new source of revenue (like Pat Flynn does who makes $8,000 in sponsorships a month or Entrepreneur on Fire who makes over fifty-one thousand dollars a month in sponsorship revenue — and yes — you read that right — $51,000.)
  5. It can lead to other opportunities such as TV appearances, radio invites/interviews, on-stage speaking opportunities, new clients, etc.)
  6. Because Gary Vaynerchuck said you should do it… “If you do not have a vlog (video blog) or a podcast, you’re leaving an enormous amount of opportunity on the table.” And, well… if GaryVee said it, it must be true ;-). That man is a marketing genius (now if we can just get him to stop dropping the f-bomb all the time).
  7. Forty-two million Americans listen to podcasts weekly. That’s 15 percent of the total U.S. population! For comparison purposes, three percent of Americans go to the movies weekly. (Thanks to Edison Research for the research and to Jay Baer for the great list of podcast statistics). So why not capture some of that attention, increase your authority, help out your target audience with valuable content, and position yourself for new business?

Ok, you’re all in right? Now let me share with you the HOW…

First, know that whether it’s podcasting, blogging, vlogging, live streaming, emailing, speaking or writing…

“In this day and age, we all need to be in the publishing business at some level…” — Jeff Walker

And no matter how skilled or competent you feel about your abilities to start your own podcast…

“People always have fears about publishing. There’s always questions like — am I going to be any good, will I have enough content, will I have enough ideas, will anyone pay attention, will I have an audience — and everyone’s got those fears.” — The Launch Life Podcast by Jeff Walker

The biggest way to push past those fears is by following what works, by following a formula, and by modeling those who are doing it successfully.

So, start by picking a few podcasts in the genre you’d most likely publish in, and subscribe to those shows that interest you.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Jeff Walker — the #1 New York Times best selling author of the book “Launch,” just started a new marketing podcast today. Listen to it, subscribe, and pay attention to how he’s launching his podcast. Also know that he’ll be sharing his podcast launch strategies in detail in future podcast episodes so you can not only see a podcast launch in action from the beginning, but you’ll also get the behind the scenes of how it was done as well.

Next, learn what works, then follow a simple plan and take action.

One of the best resources I’ve seen for starting a podcast is Pat Flynn. Period. Here are links to:

Pat’s free Podcast Tutorial

and his amazing Podcast Cheat Sheet (opt-in required for the cheat sheet– which just means he’ll ask for your email address so he can email you the PDF).

Here an overview of what’s on his cheat sheet (you’ll love it)…

  • The Essentials of Defining Your Podcast
  • Planning Your Podcast Episode Worksheet
  • A Complete Podcast Checklist that includes:
  1. The one thing you must do before you start podcasting
  2. Five things you should prepare before you begin recording
  3. Podcasting equipment and software
  4. Top ten recording tips
  5. Exporting and tagging MP3 files
  6. Web and media hosting
  7. Setting up your feed and publishing your first episode
  8. Submitting your feed to iTunes and other directories

So… now you know why you should be podcasting and you have an amazing free tutorial and cheat sheet for getting started… so get started already! You got this!

Share your Podcast…

If you have a podcast… or once you get your podcast up and running — share it! In the comments below, post a link to your podcast on iTunes.

If you have a favorite podcast you’d recommend, feel free to share that too — share the link and WHY you love that podcast.

For the record… here’s my new favorite podcast (as if you didn’t know by now ;-) … Launch Life by Jeff Walker (because who doesn’t want to create a business and a life you love!)

sharonpiv

Written by

sharonpiv

401k Geek & Resource Collector. Sharing #inspiration, #socialmedia, #smallbiz, & #marketing resources.

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