Looking for tips to improve your podcast? We got you covered.
Eight months ago, Izo Creative began producing our first podcast called Twist of Fate. Our client hired us to create a video podcast that brings together business leaders, founders, & entrepreneurs who share their stories and lessons learned when starting a business. We began releasing an episode every two weeks for the first seven months before deciding to ramp up production and release weekly back in October. We’ve learned a lot along the way and wanted to share with you our tips on producing a successful podcast.
Find Your Focus
What’s your podcast about and how is it unique? Podcasts are a dime a dozen so carving out a niche for yourself is key in building the foundation for your podcast. With Twist of Fate, our focus is in the name itself. Each episode focuses on those twist of fate moments in an entrepreneur’s journey that made them into who they are today. If you have a clear idea of what your podcast is then you will also know who your audience is and how to deliver content to them that’s informative and entertaining.
Decide on a Release Schedule
Deadlines are magical, they just make things happen. When you figure out how frequently you want an episode to come out, you know what kind of ship you need to build to make your podcast stay afloat. When you make decisions regarding time, like consistency of episodes or when you want to launch your first episode, things start to fall into place. Once you have decided on your launch date and release schedule, stick to it. Being consistent will keep your audience engaged.
Record Multiple Episodes at a Time
If you are able to capture 4 episodes in one day and you’re releasing an episode every two weeks, that’s 2 months of episodes recorded in one day. Shooting multiple episodes saves you time and money, especially if you don't have a dedicated space to host your podcast. John and I have had to shoot in many different places all around the country so if we are able to shoot multiple episodes in one location, we made it a point to do it.
Make Sound your Priority
Yes, we are shooting video but in the podcast world, audio is king. Many times, we have more listeners than we have viewers. Our ears are way more picky than our eyes. Most people are forgiving of a dark and muddy image but if your sound has any hiss or distracting echo, people will tune out quickly. While our lighting setup over these last 22 episodes hasn’t changed too dramatically, I would say our audio setup is always changing in order to get the best audio possible.
Find microphones that sound good to you. While we began the podcast using more traditional shotgun mics and lavs, we discovered we really liked the fuller sound of some basic (and less expensive) condenser mics. At the moment, we use the Sennheiser e 835 microphones, which cost about $100 at the time of writing.
It’s also important to consider the room you are in. We have been in some less than ideal rooms which made the audio hard to control. Avoid glass walls and any bare surfaces to reduce echo, be aware of air vents and any electronics that may produce noise and try to turn them off, and if you have any sound blankets, you can use them to reduce echo from sound bouncing off of hard surfaces.
Build Your Backlog
There are so many elements in producing a podcast. You have to scheduling guests, record and edit episodes, write copy, create ads and highlights, and then upload to all the major platforms. If you have to do that every week in order to release on Friday, that weekly mountain of tasks can become daunting. We suggest trying to get at least three to four episodes and all their assets ready for deployment before even launching your first episode. Creating a backlog of episodes allows you to stay ahead of the game and not fall behind your release schedule. It also allows you time to breathe and pivot if one of your episodes falls flat.
Create Short Clips for Promotion
Creating short digestible clips to post on Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook is a key factor in promoting your podcast. A good portion of your audience may only engage with your content in these 60 second shorts, so you have to make them count. With each episode we produce we also create five short clips of the best moments of that episode. Maybe it’s a lesson learned, a great piece of advice, or a funny moment that encapsulates the vibe of your podcast. These short clips can be used in a variety of ways which can engage with your audience. Also make these clips easy to share so your guests can share with their followers which casts an even wider net.
Final Thoughts
This post is just a handful of tips that I hope helps you on your journey in producing your first podcast. As we continue to learn, we will continue to share with you things we’ve learned along the way. If you are thinking about starting a podcast but it feels daunting, Izo Creative could be your creative team to make your vision move.
Give us a call for a free consultation or contact us here.
Also, shout out to Twist of Fate for being such a great collaborator. Check out new episodes every Friday at twistoffatepodcast.com or on all the major podcast platforms.