Breakout 2: Getting Heard! Podcasting 101

Getting heard - podcast 101

Considering starting a Podcast or YouTube channel? Don’t know what’s involved? How much time and money it will take? How to get started?

Presented by Sarah Williams: Author, Publisher, Podcaster, Serenade Publishing 

Sarah is indy published

This was breakout session 2 from Romance Writers of Australia Conference 2019.

So what is a podcast anyway?

  • A podcast is an audio blog that is streamed and distributed over the internet 
  • Podcasts can be talkshows, interviews, lectures, novels or anything else you want to produce in audio 
  • Podcasts are a great way to reach a wider audience 

Benefits of podcasts 

  • Listeners can download the audio whenever they want 
  • If they connect with the host, they can download back content and binge 
  • Backlist is evergreens 
  • Most common podcast players are Apple Podcasts and Stitcher 

It’s not crowded…yet 

Currently more than 700,000 active podcasts and over 29 million episodes 

Growing market, gain in popularity 

51% of the US population have listened to a podcast 

Average aged 18-45 

Benefits of hosting 

  • Human voice is most persuasive marketing tool 
  • Voice is easier to connect with than words on a page 
  • Educate and inform a 
  • Become ‘expert’ in the subject 
  • Expand your brand and extend audience reach 
  • Interview personalities 
  • Free publicity 
  • Build a community 
  • Global platform and an audience you can measure 
  • Podcast listeners are more likely to be audio book listeners 

Why podcast anyway? 

  • Podcasting is a great way to reach people with information, inspiration or entertainment 
  • Your voice imparts your personality and listeners can get to you kno in a more personal way 
  • People need to know and like you 

Making money 

  • content marketing 
  • Optimise your website with content for SEO 
  • When the listener arrives at your website you can showcase your products and services 
  • Patron.com 
  • Sponsorship from businesses 
  • Future possibilities 

Step 1: plan the podcast 

  • Sweet spot – 20 – 35 minute range 
  • Plan schedule in advance – especially for interviews 
  • Prepare notes and topics to discuss, share with interviewee 
  • Podcasting is a form of marketing. Sarah is bringing her audience new authors. 

Step 2: record interview and create the raw audio 

  • She uses Zoom, and it is free and does recording 
  • She records interviews in video and has a YouTube version 
  • Find somewhere that does not sound cavernous.  
  • Use a headset, will help avoid echoes 

Step 3: editing audio 

  • Leave Mum’s, has, and little mistakes in, this humanises people 
  • Get rid of technical problems, long silences big mistakes. 
  • Found editing programs – Audacity, Audition, GarageBand, and Reaper. 

Step 4: distribution 

  • Use a feed so people can have podcast delivered automatically to their mobiles 

Step 5: market the episode 

  • Show notes 
  • Transcript (optional, but makes it accessible) 
  • Attractive graphic on Canva 
  • Share it with Facebook pages and groups, ask interviews to share it 
  • Link in fortnightly newsletter 

Is it worth it? 

  • Podcasting takes a LOT of time 
  • Approx 4 hours for every 1 show 
  • Be consistent and deliver on promises 
  • It is not something you do for income.  It is content marketing.  Draw them to your website where you can then offer products and services. 
  • You do it because you want to learn and help others. You want to connect with your audience using your voice. 
  • If you’re going to podcast, then commit for at least six months. IF you make it that far, you’ll be hooked 

My notes: Sarah seemed to use a lot of expensive options. She hadn’t heard of Anchor.FM which is a free podcast host, recently bought out by Spotify. If someone is thinking of starting a podcast, I would suggest beginning there as it reduces startup costs.

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