You don’t want to just launch a podcast… you want to launch a podcast that is good. A podcast that is successful (based on your definition of success) and sustainable for the long haul. But how do you do that?
In this episode, I’m going to share with you the 3 aspects of a successful launch. If you do these 3 things, you’ll be able to not only get your podcast launched but also have a good chance at keeping it going long term.
What does it mean for your podcast to be ‘successful and sustainable’?
SUCCESSFUL
Successful might mean different things to different people. But to me, it means that it will help you accomplish the goals you set you when you start. Maybe your goal is just to have fun and pursue a hobby – if that’s the case, then it’s successful if you are having fun!
Maybe your goal is to reach more people with your message… well, if you have 20 listeners, then you’ve reached 20 more people than before!
Successful would also mean that it’s making a difference for your listeners. That it’s helping them in some way.
What I don’t mean by successful: hitting new and noteworthy, reaching a particular ranking in Apple Podcasts, or becoming an “overnight success”. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’m not the gal for you!
SUSTAINABLE
Many people who launch podcasts end up throwing in the towel before they hit episode number 7. This is called podfading… someone starts a podcast, gets a few episodes in, and then throws in the towel before producing their 7th episode.
Why? Matthew McClean at thepodcasthost.com says the reasons for this are often:
- Lack of planning
- Unrealistic expectations
- Over-complication
- Focus in the wrong areas
I agree, and that’s why I’m passionate about helping you start your podcast on the right foot, by keeping things simple and making sure you have a solid strategy in place. When you do this, you can avoid podfading and instead have a podcast that is sustainable.
The 3 Aspects to a Successful and Sustainable Podcast Launch:
These are the 3 aspects that I have helped my clients with when launching their shows, and they are the 3 areas I focused on with my own podcasts. And they are the 3 main components of what I’m teaching inside of Podcast in a Weekend.
PLAN
This is the aspect that is most often overlooked, but it’s actually of utmost importance. As we pointed out earlier, many podcasts fail because of a lack of planning. If you don’t know where you are going with your show, it’s gonna be tough to stick with it.
The planning phase includes establishing the foundations of your podcast – this means answering the 5 questions I shared on episode 21, as well as establishing your goals.
If you can get really clear on your podcast foundations, you’re going to have a much easier time moving forward. You can avoid going back and fixing mistakes or having to pivot 5 times in the first year.
The planning phase also involves what I consider the fun stuff; creating the necessary assets for your show. This includes your artwork, picking out music, and planning out your initial content.
These assets are what will attract and keep your ideal listeners. And most importantly is creating a strategic plan for your content so that people stick around. You might be able to attract listeners with a great name, pretty artwork, and a solid description. But if they listen and don’t fall in love with the content, you lose them.
PRODUCE
Next up is the production phase. This is super important because podcasting is an audio format. People are listening in their cars, on a walk, or while doing housework, for example. They aren’t seeing your face on a screen, so you’ve gotta keep their attention with the audio.
Of course a big part of this is the content, but the other part is making sure the actual audio quality is good. You do not need to be a sound engineer or have a radio-level recording studio!
But taking a little bit of time to pay attention to your recording set up is key. I went into the details on this last week, on episode 23, to help you get started with the basics of the tech you need for recording a podcast.
Again, I’m not looking for you to have the perfect sound. But I don’t want to hear lots of background noise, tons of interruptions, or bumps and bangs throughout the show. This just means paying attention to how the recording sounds overall!
The second part of the production phase is getting your podcast ready to get out into the world. This means setting up your hosting and getting approved into the various podcast platforms.
You do want to make sure your podcast can be found in all the places – not just Apple podcasts… so that when you get to the next phase, people will be able to find your show!
PROMOTE
The promotion aspect is where you are generating buzz and creating excitement about your podcast.
Why is this important? Well, it creates anticipation!
Have you ever tried to launch a product or service, and you worked on it really hard behind the scenes for weeks… and on launch day, you announced it to your audience and… crickets? Yeah, me too.
I want to help you avoid that with your podcast launch. So you want to make sure you’re actually talking about it before you launch.
If you already have an audience, this could include getting them engaged and giving feedback on various aspects of your show, including the name, the content, the artwork, etc.
If you don’t have an audience, it might mean starting to connect with and develop relationships with your ideal listeners… figuring out what their needs are, what they are talking about a lot, etc. You might also begin mentioning the podcast or the idea and floating various topics out for feedback.
Even if you don’t have a following already, it’s super important to start talking about the idea of the show to make sure it’s going to resonate!
When you get your audience or potential audience involved in the podcast launch, they are much more likely to be excited and interested when the podcast goes live!
So don’t keep it a secret… start talking about it and generating that excitement!
How to Launch a Successful and Sustainable Podcast without missing a step:
Now you might be wondering, okay Esther, that all sounds good, but how much time is this all going to take me, and how do I know exactly what needs to happen in each phase?
I’m not going to tell you that this can be done in almost no time. It will take some time, of course! But you don’t have to do what I did and take 6 months or more…
You can do it much faster, and focus only on what matters most, when you follow the plan I’ve outlined in my Podcast in a Weekend mini-course. This is available on Friday, Nov. 27th, so be sure to head over and check out the details now.
Connect with Esther:
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