Have you considered starting a podcast? If you have a business of any kind, I am going to guess that you have some form of an online presence. This is no longer an option and is now a must to stay relevant in 2016! I will assume that you have a website and a basic presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you do not, delegate this responsibility to someone savvy who can help you here.
Do you ever ask yourself what are you trying to accomplish with all of this?
This may seem like a stupid question, but let’s think about it for a moment or two. Are you doing all of this because this is what everyone else is doing? What are you hoping to accomplish by having an online presence? It is no secret that everyone with a business is trying to get in front of clients in the same ways. The challenge is standing out and building a group of raving fans.
Creating content will always be a great way to offer additional value to your potential clients and it helps you establish your expertise in your respective field. Podcasting is a wonderful option that can help grow an audience and it will make your business stand out too!
Here are 5 reasons to start a podcast right now:
I. Low cost to entry.
Getting started in podcasting is relatively inexpensive and you can always upgrade equipment and service options as you need or want to, later on. You will need a microphone, a headset, a computer, and a service provider to host the episodes. There are self-hosting options for more advanced users, but I am only going to discuss the basic options in this post.
At a minimum, you should use a headset with a built-in microphone like a $25 Logitech Clear Chat model that you can buy on Amazon or another retailer of your choice. Sound quality is a big deal for your listeners and people won’t stick around if the quality is awful. I personally upgraded microphones very quickly and went to studio-quality headphones too.
If you are a PC user, you can get Audacity for sound editing, and although it’s free, it is a bit challenging to use. I think that it is better suited for intermediate to expert users. If you are a Mac user, use Garage Band for sound editing. I love this program and it is extremely user friendly and it produces a good final product. Check out a recent episode on my podcast to judge the sound quality for yourself.
There are quite a few options available to host your podcast episodes. I use Buzzsprout and they provide a simple, affordable, and user-friendly platform to upload and post the audio files. If you do a quick search for podcast hosting companies you will get more options than you know what to do with.
Just let me know if you have any specific questions about equipment and I will be glad to help you out.
II. It gives you a voice…..literally.
When you are recording a podcast episode, you can get your thoughts and opinions out without being interrupted. It’s nice to say what you want to say and to take as much time as you need to. You have the option to record solo shows and talk with one or more guests at a time too. This can be consumed by your audience when you release the show or at any point in the future.
This platform will give you a voice that is much louder than just opinions on social media and this can help to set you apart from your competition. You can choose to collaborate with other entrepreneurs in your industry or satisfy the needs of your clients in a better and more effective manner than your competitors. There are no rules and you can own your style, format, and topics!
Your spoken voice can be a great compliment to your written words if you maintain a blog as well. You will also notice that you reach new people that would have otherwise never found you.
I personally started with blogging and added podcasting to expand my reach. I enjoy both and each gives more credibility to the other.
III. Podcast audiences are still growing…
IV. It’s fun!
Podcasting is a lot of fun and it is something new to try! I had zero experience with talking into a microphone or editing sound files, but I just dove in.
Do not overthink this people, just take action. Listen to my 1st episode entitled “The Beginning,” and feel free to laugh your head off at me if you like. I had no expectations and I knew that I could only go up from there. I was correct in my thinking and I have certainly improved in my speaking, my confidence, and my value offering to my audience.
If you also enjoy having fun, give podcasting a shot and see where it takes you.
I made iTunes “New & Noteworthy” list in 3 categories and I had no clue what I was doing! If I can do it, so can you!
V. It gives you access to people much more successful than you.
A lot of professionals and entrepreneurs in your niche have books launches coming up and inspiring stories. You will be surprised how many people gladly accept an invitation to have a conversation on the air. It’s a great opportunity for your guests to promote their personal brand and it gives your audience exposure to some powerful people.
Check out these episodes from my show:
Ordinary To Exceptional with Brian Scudamore- Episode 36
How To Be Unstoppable with Kelly Roach- Episode 32
Authority Content with David Jenyns- Episode 28
The Faith, Leadership and Innovation Experience with John Barrett- Episode 16
Inspiration That Will Sweep You Off Your Feet with Todd McBroom- Episode 15
Taking with awesome guests like these will take your credibility up a notch as well. Not a bad perk for an inexpensive and fun way to broaden your entrepreneurial horizons. Ready to try your hand at launching your own show? Let me know how I can help. Seriously.
I want nothing from you and just appreciate the opportunity to give back to something that I enjoy being apart of.
If you found any of this information helpful, please leave a comment and let everyone know your thoughts. Share this blog post if you think it may help someone else too. Join the podcast movement or sit back and watch the parade pass you by.
Don’t waste time learning how to podcast like an audio nerd. Launch your podcast TODAY in just four simple steps. Make your podcast FAST and get it to your target audience NOW. All details are discussed in “This book How To Podcast: Four Simple Steps To Broadcast Your Message To The Entire Connected Planet … Even If You Don’t Know What Podcasting Really Is”
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