What Makes a Great Podcast?

If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, you should to have an understanding of what makes a great podcast.  While there is no fool-proof formula for success, certain tools can be utilized to help your’s shine through unimpeded by faulty execution.  Let’s begin.

• Focus on a Central Idea

  • Every podcast that has been created has done so because they have something to convey.  This could be a certain opinion or knowledge on a certain subject.  Don’t get so hung up on what the idea will be as opposed to how it will be conveyed to your audience.  The best of the best have defined their main idea presenting it as clearly as possible so people understand what they’re trying to say and the best way to say it.  With each episode, you are making a promise to your audience that you will present on the core subject matter of the podcast. That’s what they came here to listen to in the first place right?

• Play to the Audience

  •  If you didn’t already know, the audience is king.  This is something that all great podcasters understand and utilize to their advantage.  One of the great things about podcasting to me is that you have the ability to target niche markets.  Shared knowledge can unify people on a certain subject matter and unlike traditional radio with limited airtime, you can be as specific as possible.  But overall pick a subject that you want to talk about, garner an audience from that, and then play to the market you enter.

• Regular Schedules

  • I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a regular posting schedule for you podcast.  It shows your audience that you are dedicating time into the show (you actually care) and it keeps your excitement up to continue creating episodes. All of this can shine through to your audience.  The continual launching of episodes also keeps the audience engaged and increases visibility in your work.  But overall, your audience will just expect you to post regularly so do it or they will simply leave, and no one wants that.

• Show Structures

  • With the ability of content creators to target specific markets, it can sometimes be hard to know if a certain show is going to cover what you expect.  Having an explicit structure to your content can help your listeners know what to expect and keeps them engaged in the ideas you cover.  As always, be intentional with your structure using it to express your ideas in a way that connects you with your audience.

• Authenticity

  • Present in all podcasting is the element of authenticity.  The relationship that you as the host build with your listeners is extremely important in a medium so intimate.  One of the ways you can help yourself sound authentic is to:

    • Embrace opening up to your audience.

    • Speak from a place that is authentic and vulnerable.

  • By putting these into action, you invite people to form a relationship with you.  Having this empathetic link with your audience is crucial to maintaining audience engagement.  If you show people you care about them (being authentic), they will show they care about you (by listening).

By utilizing these tools, you can make sure your podcast is impactful for you, your business, and your audience.  I only hope that now you create something amazing!