What’s great about podcasts is that your audience is attracted to you. With podcast episodes ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours, your audience is hooked onto every word you’re saying. So, what are you saying and why should they listen? What makes your podcast different from the next guy’s talking about the same thing?
Uniqueness is what makes you stand out. Every listener wants something in return for their time spent listening to your episode. In simple terms, they want a problem solved; better health, more wealth, longer-lasting happiness, or deterring boredom. And this is what every podcast does, but it’s up to you how you make a listener stick around.
It’s all about saying the same thing everyone else is, but in your own voice, in your own way, with your own spin on things. Here’s how to make your podcast stand out:
5. What is Your Format?
Sure, a 30-minute interview with an expert is great, but if you want to generate interest right off the bat, start thinking about putting in a little thought into revamping your format. Consider breaking up your episode into segments or creating a mini-series. We all know that the standard interview works, but do try different ways to contain your content.
4. What is Your Topic?
It’s easy to want to have a broad topic so you can reach “everyone.” While that might sound enticing, and like something that makes logical sense, the old saying, “if you talk to everyone, you’re talking to no one,” truly applies here. Niching down will help you sell to the people who want to hear what you have to say. And down the line, you can always adjust and open it up to be broader.
Here’s how to narrow in on your niche. Let’s take a broad topic like nutrition. Everyone can relate (everyone’s gotta eat!) but who is it exactly you want to narrow in on? If you’re in school, your angle could be healthy nutrition for broke college students. Maybe it could be geared towards parents who are overloaded with their careers, looking for fast and easy ways to provide nutritious meals for their families. Perhaps, it’s a podcast about nutrition for women who are expecting and looking for tips and tricks to get the best nutrition for themselves and their babies.
An angle on a topic means you can still cover the whole subject, however, you’re just relating to a specific “slice of life.”
3. How is Your Production Quality?
Do yourself a huge favor; Buy the best tools you can afford to make your podcast come to life! Even if you’re a first-timer and this is your hobby, that doesn’t mean you have to sound like one. There are so many options on the market to help you sound good, so choose the technology and get the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
If you’re starting out, don’t fall into the trap of a 45-minute show that sounds like it was recorded slightly underwater in a basement, and then publishing it unedited, because “you don’t have time to edit.” Put in the time, raise the quality, and create something magnificent.
Plus, when you edit, you’re opening yourself up to creating even more content! Going through your recording will show you the bits and pieces you may have forgotten about. Mining for these nuggets means you can pull them out and repurpose them across other social media channels. It’s actually really simple to do – start with a transcript of your episode and pick a few parts that are juicy and shareable. Choose 30 seconds up to 10-minute segments either to use on Instagram or as your actual podcast episode and pull these out of your recording or record them separately. Remember, quality over quantity every time!
And if the thought of editing is making you want to run away in the opposite direction, you can always hire someone to do it for you.
2. Expand Your Online Presence
Everyone is on social media. Are you? Podcasts are such a great way to broaden your reach and promote yourself. By putting your efforts into more than one channel and actually nurturing your presence without just dropping new episodes, you’re able to create a brand voice. The trick here is to be very present and give your audience what they want. Interact, post, and build relationships by creating community, starting conversations, and answering questions.
When you create community, you build rapport. And when you build rapport, you get noticed!
1. What are YOU Bringing To The Table?
Now for the “piece de resistance.” At the end of the day, it really all comes down to you and how you show up as you for your podcast. Your personality and “je ne sais quois” is probably the most stand-out thing you can do! Yes, there are a lot of funny, well-spoken, educated, and enlightened people out there, but there’s only one you and that’s what listeners want.
Getting “you” across can include your background, your stance, your experience, your opinion, your knowledge; All of which contribute to your angle. While this may be tough to demonstrate until your listeners actually listen to your show, drilling it down and getting clear on your essence and show concept can be done via your podcast description plus across your social media channels.
With TalkShoe, you can create the podcast of your dreams telling the story you’ve always wanted to share. It’s easy to get started when everything you need is in one place. You can record your podcast in advance, or stream it live. TalkShoe gives you ample space to host and store, distribute and syndicate and easily transcribe your podcast. Start here.
