Podcasting literally exploded in 2020 and is expected to continue to grow exponentially in 2021. Do you want to get into the adventure this year? We will advise you with several articles. Here are, to start, the first steps to succeed in developing the subject and content but also define its audience.
Define your subject well
As medium.com website rightly says, the first question to ask is: “What is it all about? “It must be very easy to answer this question. You have to choose a subject that you know and that interests you. Then ask yourself how you can bring something unique to the subject.
Another important question to ask is: Is this a topic on which I will be able to produce enough content? Some topics may seem exciting at first, but when you start thinking about the next episodes, you realize that there is not enough material left.
Finally, do not hesitate to refine your subject. Be specific. Does your podcast want to talk about nutrition? OK! But be more specific to capture an audience. Choose ” nutrition for athletes ” or ” nutrition for weight loss ” or ” teaching your children about nutrition “. The more precise and unique your niche, the more you will build a loyal fan base. Don’t they say “the riches are in the niches”?
Also, define your ideal listener. This is the typical person you want to share your message with. To define your ideal listener, ask yourself questions such as :
Is this listener male or female?
What age group does he or she belong to?
What is his professional life? His social life?
What are his hopes and challenges?
What does he or she want to know about the subject covered by the podcast?
Create a list of episodes of your podcast
Think about a list of episode topics to make sure that there is enough to say and that you will be able to do it!
To help you brainstorm, think about all aspects of your topic. If, for example, the subject of your podcast is nutrition for athletes, here are a few examples: eating a good breakfast before going for a run, is gluten not recommended for athletes? how to eat during a marathon? Younger or older athletes, how does nutrition change with age? Eating well to recover well after the effort etc… All these subjects are both varied and interesting for your niche of sportsmen and women who want to take care of their diet.
A podcast with several people or alone in front of the microphone?
Of course, anything is possible. You can choose to be the only one speaking in your podcast. It’s up to you to captivate your listeners with your story alone, it’s up to you to capitalize your audience on your name, your experience, your personality. If you perfectly embody your theme, success and audience will be there.
But you can also launch your podcast with several people, with one or more experts in the field you have chosen to explore. In this case, be sure to define the roles of each person. Who is the moderator? Who is the expert? Who is asking the questions? Who is giving feedback? This division of roles is very important and should remain the same throughout the episodes because it gives the listener a sense of direction. Choose an expert who is available, reliable, and involved in the project. If your podcast generates income, you will have to share it with him/her.
Finally, it is also possible to change guests for each podcast. It’s more complicated because you have to find one each time, contact him or her, convince him or her to intervene in your podcast,… But it brings more diversity to your podcast series. To make your podcast with guests a success, please read our podcast article: how to make a successful interview.
Now all you have to do is find an original name that is explicit enough to describe your concept and start the first steps, before reading our next article which will be dedicated to the recording of the podcast.