Common mistakes podcasters make.
There are some common mistakes that a podcaster often makes (hey, that rhymed!). In this blog I am talking about after launch. You can find out about my idea of the perfect podcast launch in an upcoming blog…. Keep an eye out.
However there are some simple and key mistakes to watch out for as you record and grow your podcast:
1.)AUDIO QUALITY – This is quite a bugbear for me. Whilst your listener will always understand noise if you are at a loud gig interviewing a band, or trying to get interviews at a martial arts convention. The amount of podcasts out there that whilst narrating or recording on their own have awful background noise, hissing, or the levels all over the place… You can cut all of this out either by recording smarter, or editing in post production even with FREE tools!
Think about where your listener is listening. You are inside their ear directly, you are coming through their 8-car speakers… The audio quality needs to not disconnect you from your listener. Due to the way your podcast is listened to, their is an intimate relationship between the host and the listener, don’t let audio quality ruin that.
2.) Consistency – This is again a trust element between you and your listener. They want to know what to expect each episode that they tune in, and if it is completely different to the episode they loved previously…. They may not come back! You will lose their trust.
Imagine you love a show on Netflix, you know it comes out on Sunday nights and therefore you make sure you don’t plan anything, you get a takeout meal and turn on the tv to find out this week it’s coming out late. You will lose that trust you had in the show, and lose a little love for it I imagine too. Podcasts are no different, people will love the show and make it a part of their schedules. Apple Podcasts has a 48 hour window in its algorithms where it learns when you release your episodes. If it isn’t released within that window, you may end up with irregular release times out of your control.
3.)Momentum…. Don’t lose it! – The key to many successful podcasts is that they just kept on going, through thick and thin. Every summer, every winter.
Many podcasters lose momentum when they look at numbers, and yes often a podcast launch can be amazing and fun. Often though numbers will plateau for a while, don’t get disheartened. Imagine this wasn’t the internet and you were in a bar, even if you had just 20 people listening to your podcast. If that was in a bar you would be ecstatic!
4.)Know your personas – Don’t lose sight of who you are aiming at. Or who your listener is. It is key when making decisions about recording, presenting style and even marketing your podcast. I have always recommended naming, writing the demographic, interests and even drawing a picture of your key podcast persona.
Are you an aspiring podcaster? Here are some more awesome blogs:
Thinking of podcasting? Check out our podcast all about podcasting, it’s a bit like inception but makes starting a podcast simple and doesn’t have Leonardo Di-Caprio in it. Listen in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Soundcloud.