On the latest episode of Should I Start a Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking to Jason Skinner. Jason is host of Business Made Easy as well as a professional business coach and accountant. In short, he’s the guy you want to talk to if you’re trying to use podcasting to promote your business.
But first, is that even a good idea?
That depends, says Jason. If you love listening to podcasts and have a deep passion for interviewing people, then go for it. If anything, it’ll satisfy your curiosities and provide rich conversations.
However, you might fall into a different camp: the established business that wants to use podcasting as a marketing tool. That’s a tried and true tactic, but only if done correctly. If you’re going to do a podcast, do it right. Start the journey — and it is a journey — only when you have enough cash flow and manpower to sustain a devoted podcasting team. 93% of podcasts on iTunes have 7 or less episodes. Don’t become another sad statistic by only giving half of your effort.
Now, if you’re committed to podcasting, there’s a few things you need to keep in mind.. When he first started podcasting, Jason was obsessed with numbers: downloads, listeners, etc. He would check his analytics first thing in the morning and often send himself into fits of anxiety if the numbers didn’t look the way he wanted.
Compulsively checking social feedback is the same problem a lot of people have with Instagram or Twitter, and it’s entirely unhealthy and counterproductive. Instead, Jason advises that you focus more on engagement. How are people interacting with your podcast? Are they visiting your website? Taking a look at your products? Joining your online groups? The committed folks are the ones you want to court.
Second, you need to have a detailed plan. How many episodes are you going to do in a month? What days are you going to spend finding guests, interviewing or plotting out your release schedule?
Podcasting isn’t just about recording an interesting interview. It’s also about optimising the content so that it fits well into your business. Consider SEO tools like AnswerThePublic.com and Keywords Everywhere to answer highly-searched questions in your show.
Finally, enjoy the ride. Too many people expect instant results from podcasting, and that’s just not how it works. It takes some time for the connections you make on the show to transition into partnerships, and it takes time to build an audience that’s loyal.
Focus all of your energy on creating a spectacular show that is fun to host, and the rest will follow.
Listen to my entire conversation with Jason Skinner here.
https://mustamplify.com/shouldistartapodcast117/
Author: Ronsley Vaz
Ronsley is the founder & chief day dreamer at AMPLIFY. He is an author, speaker & serial entrepreneur.
He has a Masters’ degree in Software Engineering and an MBA in Psychology and Leadership. He is known as the creator of We Are Podcast – the first Podcasting Conference in the Southern Hemisphere, and the host of The Bond Appetit Podcast and Should I Start a Podcast. He has an audience of over 3 million in 133 countries.