I know what you're probably thinking: "I'm not a podcaster," or "I don't have time to start a podcast." But you should give it a try because podcasts are important. It's not just about being on the cutting edge of technology; podcasts are also an amazing way to connect with your audience. In fact, they're one of the fastest-growing forms of media right now: people love listening to podcasts, so why not turn that passion of yours into something more interactive?
If you're wondering whether this is the right time for you to start a podcast in 2022—for yourself or your business—then read on!
#1: You're going to love it
A podcast is a great way to share your voice with the world, connect with your audience and build relationships. It will also help to share your expertise, build your brand and connect with a wider audience.
If you want to start a podcast but aren’t sure where to begin, here are some tips that will help you get started.
Step 1: Decide on a topic. You’re going to need to decide what you’re going to talk about in your podcast. Is there a specific niche that interests you? Do you have any expertise or experience in this area? If so, then this is a great place to start. If you don’t have a specific topic in mind, then you can start by brainstorming some ideas. Try to think about things that interest you and are relevant to your niche. For example, if your business is all about helping small businesses succeed online, then maybe you want to start with an episode about how the internet changed our lives or how technology has impacted small businesses throughout history.
Step 2: Develop a format. Once you’ve decided on a topic, you need to think about how this will translate into an actual podcast episode. What kind of content do you want to cover? Do you want to have guests on your show? How often should these episodes be released? The more specific you are about your format, the better. You don’t have to have everything figured out from the beginning, but it’s important that you have some kind of plan in place.
Step 3: Create episode outlines. Once you’ve decided on a format, it’s time to start creating an outline for each episode. This is where you can get really creative and fun with your podcast! Think about how you want each episode to flow, what kind of content will be included, what kind of tone should be used (if any), etc. You don’t need to do this step right away; you can always come back to this step later if you have time.
Step 4: Record and edit your episodes. Once you’ve finished writing your episode outlines, it’s time to record your podcast! This can be a little tricky if you don’t have any equipment, but there are lots of ways around this (like using free recording software like Riverside.fm or borrowing someone else’s equipment). Once you have all of your audio recorded, it’s time to edit. Depending on how long each episode is, this could take anywhere from a couple of hours to several days.
Step 5: Promote your podcast. Once you’ve finished recording and editing your first episode, it’s time to start promoting it! You can do this by sharing a link on social media, creating an email list (or using one that already exists), sending out press releases, etc.
#2: It'll help you build your audience
Podcasts are a great way to build your audience. If you want to reach a niche audience, podcasting is the way to do it. Think about what you know, and who would be interested in that knowledge. If you’re a CrossFit coach, for instance, there are plenty of people who would love to hear about all things fitness-related from an expert like yourself.
Also, remember that not everyone lives in the same city or country as you do! If you have an international following already built up from other platforms (like Facebook or Instagram), building on top of that with your own podcast could help expand your reach even further as well as open up new possibilities for partnerships and collaborations.
You can also use your podcast as a way to build your brand. Think about how people will be able to identify with you, and what they’ll want to hear from you in the future. This is another great reason why it’s important to choose a niche that you know well!
#3: It's a way to keep building relationships and social capital
Podcasting is a great way to keep building relationships. Whether you're connecting with people you know or those who are new to your life, it's an opportunity to have deep conversations and learn more about each other.
It's also a great way to connect with people who share your interests. If you like podcasts about politics but also enjoy listening to podcasts about cooking and baking, then starting a podcast could be just what you need. You'll be able to talk about politics in one episode and then focus on cooking for the next episode. It's all about balance!
And remember: You don't have to limit yourself only within your niche either. If there are topics that interest some of the listeners but not all of them (and vice versa), then consider including them in some episodes of your podcast as well!
#4: It's an opportunity to share wisdom, experience, stories, and ideas in a unique format
Podcasting is a great way to share your knowledge, experience, stories, and ideas.
You have something to say and people want to hear it. Podcasting is an opportunity for you to develop your own voice and share that wisdom in an intimate way with others who may not otherwise be exposed to it. Your audience can benefit from hearing what you have to say on a wide variety of topics: philosophy, history, economics, poetry—the list goes on! The world needs more teachers like you who are passionate about sharing their life experiences with others through the spoken word format.
#5: Podcasts are great for SEO
Podcasts are discoverable by search engines, shareable, and searchable. You have to create a podcast page on your website with all of the relevant information about it—like episode titles and descriptions—so that Google can index it and let people find you through their search engine results.
And because podcasts are on-demand (meaning they’re not live), they’re mobile-friendly, which means listeners can listen wherever they want: at home or in the car; when walking down the street or at the gym; before falling asleep or when waking up in the morning; during long commutes or short trips around town.
What is Riverside.fm?
Riverside.fm is a podcasting platform that helps you run your podcast and connect with other content creators in the community. It also doubles as a social media platform that provides tools (through "communities" or "groups") for your audience to interact directly with you and each other, as well as share their own stories through posts.
Users can upload any type of audio or visual file that relates to the topics covered in their podcasts (e.g., songs, music videos) or otherwise relevant to who they are as people.
Creating your podcast in Riverside.fm
Riverside.fm is easy-to-use and takes care of all the technical details for you, enabling you to focus on creating great content. All you need to do is follow the below 3-step instruction to get started recording your first podcast:
Download the Riverside recordings app.
Record and edit your podcast with ease.
Share your episodes on social media, on your website, and everywhere else you could possibly want to share them!
That's it!
Conclusion
There’s no better way to get in front of an audience than by creating a podcast. Podcasting is a great way to build community around you, your business, and your brand. It's been around for over a decade but it didn’t really take off until recently. It’s now the fastest growing medium in history with over 3 million podcasts available on iTunes alone.
There are so many reasons why this form of media is taking off right now:
It's easy to start—anyone can do it!
It's cheap—no expensive equipment required (just access to editing software)
It's portable—you can listen anywhere
We hope this article has given you some insights into why podcasting is such a great way to build community around your business. If you've been thinking about starting a podcast but haven't gotten around to it yet, now is the time!
And if you are a Black woman founder who needs help developing yourself as a Founder, be sure to join our Blaze Mastermind Membership by downloading the TablexTribe app today!