Written by: Sonja A. Keeve, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Did you know that the concept of Podcasting goes back all the way to 2004, as Adam Curry and Dave Winer are credited with inventing this medium? I recently learned this as I was researching when podcasting first originated. Some would differ and state that podcasting goes all the way back to the 1980’s.
I did not become interested in Podcasting until 2018, when I was looking for an opportunity to enter the entrepreneurial space. I had been a corporate employee for 14+ years but was looking for more significance in my life outside of my 9-5 job. And, through a social media challenge on Facebook, the group was tasked with coming up with a product or service they wanted to create, but it had to be implemented right away. And the idea of starting my own Podcast came to mind. Why you ask, because I wanted to create a platform that would give other women the opportunity to share their voice, and thus Inspiring Nations with Sonja Keeve Podcast Show was launched!
Since 2018, the podcast industry has seen an explosive growth where there were 550 thousand active podcasts created all around the world. By 2020, there were more than 700 thousand active podcasts.
And with this growth in the industry, there are more women and men who continue to create these amazing podcast platforms where they are sharing their expertise, offering advice, entertaining, and so much more.
Perhaps, you too have been bitten by the podcast bug of wanting to start your own platform. But, with so many potential show ideas, you might find yourself in overwhelm, but be reassured it is possible to take your ideas and create a powerful Podcast that will inspire nations.
To begin your journey, let’s look at 5 things you want to consider, before you start a Podcast.
1. Why do you want to start a podcast?
It is always best to start with the end in mind. Understanding the “Why”, will help guide you though the process. Are you looking for more visibility to get in front of a global audience? For me initially, the visibility is what helped connect me to influencers and leaders, I most admired. For others, starting a podcast gave them a platform to share their expertise. And lastly, some found it so much easier to create a podcast then writing a weekly blog. Whatever the reason is for you, you want to make sure you solidify and understand why you want to start a Podcast. Without knowing your why, you can find yourself lost and frustrated, which leads to never launching your own show.
2. What the podcast will be about?
Once you answer the why for your Podcast show, then you want to be able to articulate what your Podcast show will be about. More specifically, what will your listeners gain from you and your expertise. In 2021, there were more than 1.75 million active podcasts online. To have your podcast be the show the listener select requires that you differentiate yourself from the others. How? Well let’s use the following example, purchasing a book from the bookstore. As a purchaser, when you go to buy a book at your favorite store, how do you select what book to buy? Typically, the first thing we do is flip to the back cover to read the snippet of what the book will be about. The same thing will be true how listeners choose a Podcast. Before downloading the podcast show, they will read the show title, and then immediately go to what the show is about. To help further this point, the description for your show should outline what the listener will learn when they tune into your show. Once you get your listener on the hook, you will most likely have a fan for life.
3. Who is the podcast for?
Answering this question speaks specifically to understanding who your target audience is. Even though Podcast shows are heard around the world, to gain the visibility and longevity for your show, requires you to niche down who is you target market. To help you in this process, here are a few questions to think about as it relates to your ideal audience. But keep in mind, this is not an exhaustive list, however it is designed to get you thinking in the right direction.
Is your ideal audience male/female?
Married/Single/Divorced?
Age range?
What do they do for a living?
Hobbies?
What problem does your podcast solve?
What passions does your podcast invoke?
4. Where do you want your podcast show to be broadcast?
When you create a Podcast Show, this will not be a platform created to be heard just in your local community where you live. Your show will potentially be heard all around the world. And yes, this is exciting, but it also can be scary for some. The thing that I was most excited about when I launched in 2018, was that with the click of one button, I could broadcast my show on multiple podcast platforms. To execute this, requires you to use a hosting platform where you can download your show once, and it simultaneously broadcasts in multiple places like Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Sound Cloud & Spotify just to name a few.
5. How much time can you commit to your Podcast?
Now that you have answered the questions of Who, What Where and Why. The final question to answer is how much time you are willing to commit to building and launching your Podcast. As it relates to time, consider how often you want to drop a new episode (weekly, daily, bi-weekly, or monthly). And, as it relates to frequency, how long do you want your show to be? (30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 1 hour). In my experience as a Master Podcast Coach, when I ask my clients what they could talk about for 30 minutes, 1 day a week, I usually get a myriad of responses. Because it is so much easier to speak and share their expertise then it is to write a weekly blog. (I know I said this earlier, ha-ha but I am hoping you are now leaning in to podcasting). Once my clients saw all the possibilities that podcasting could bring, they found themselves now ready to launch a Podcast.
Now that you have an idea of the 5 things to consider before starting a Podcast, hopefully you feel more equipped and ready to step out on faith and launch your very own Podcast.
Sonja A. Keeve, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sonja Keeve, Author and Speaker as well as the CEO and Founder of Sista’s with a Voice Podcast Network, where she teaches and trains Women Entrepreneurs to Build, Launch & Monetize a Podcast in 30 days or less. She is also the host of two International Podcast Shows, Inspiring Nations and Begin Again. For more information to connect with Sonja, please visit www.SonjaKeeve.com.
