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In recent years, podcasts have exploded in popularity to become an enticing platform for comedians, historians and even royalty to speak on different topics to engaged listeners. For entrepreneurs in particular, podcasts offer the opportunity to market their business while also establishing a direct connection to their target audience.
With so many people hopping on the podcast bandwagon, any business looking to start one has to carefully consider how they can stand out from the crowded market and what value they can offer listeners. To help, 20 Forbes Business Council members each share essential tips that will ensure entrepreneurs get started on the right foot.
1. Determine Your Target Audience
Identify your target demographic and meticulously discern their preferences, both in content and presentation. Harness the potential of guest engagement, maintain a steady cadence of content publication and relentlessly promote your podcast. Consider what sets your podcast apart. Then craft a distinctive tone while avoiding contrived efforts, as authenticity remains the favored attribute among audiences. – Yasmin Walter, KMD Books
2. Focus On What Sets You Apart
If you’re starting a podcast, focus on value. Determine what your business has that sets it apart and is able to offer in terms of solutions. Customize your content to match your audience’s needs. Engagement is a major factor, so respond to the listeners’ questions and comments on social media platforms to create a community. Keep in mind that the key to generating an audience is consistency. – Chris Kille, EO Staff
3. Be Consistent
Consistency is key, so make sure you maintain a regular schedule to keep your audience engaged. Invest in quality production for clear audio and engaging content. Interact with your audience, encourage feedback and don’t be afraid to collaborate with experts to expand your podcast’s reach. – Mark Williams, Brokers International
4. Outline A Content Plan
If a business is going to start a podcast first, leaders need to make sure they keep a constant feed of knowledge pouring into the podcast and preplan what listeners want to engage in. This is vital for a podcast to be successful. – Tammy Sons, Tn Nursery
5. Create A Distribution Plan
Starting a podcast in today’s world where everyone is battling for attention is a daunting task. Before you consider starting a podcast, you have to have a distribution plan. You must have other marketing channels established. Whether it’s email, social media, paid marketing, influencer marketing, content creation or something else, you have to figure out distribution before producing a podcast. – Calvin Krainock, Incline Marketing
6. Provide Practical Solutions
Focus on providing practical solutions for the problems of your customers or listeners. If you not only want to attract but also retain your listeners for the long term, you need to ensure your conversations are applicable to their situations. Start with marketing and suitable personalities when you launch, but focus on your topics being relevant and relatable to drive word-of-mouth and longevity. – Akshay Shetty, Guidewire Software
7. Focus On Relevant Topics
Present topics relevant to your audience. We started a podcast back in January called Bridging the Gap. The purpose is to bridge the gap between individuals and health insurance questions, concerns and the unknown. Inclusion of your audience is also key. When viewers feel they are seen and heard, they tend to tune in more frequently. In addition, do live sessions and invite your customers. – Kimberly Branham-Nelson, Nelson and Associates Insurance
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8. Diversify Your Guests
Look for quality diversity. Speak to as many different guests as possible. Finding people who have differing ideas to your own often leads to an interesting conversation that opens eyes to new insights. To avoid homogeneity, create healthy debate and encourage several different perspectives to be heard. – Pearl Lam, Pearl Lam Galleries
9. Consider Your Platform Carefully
Personally, I use Buzzsprout for my podcast. They offer great tools to help businesses syndicate their content, format it and create marketing assets to help promote it. With Zapier, I was able to create an automation that blasts a link and synopsis to my list of 35,000 subscribers every time I publish a new episode. This has dramatically helped me increase engagement on my own podcast. – Joe Trusty, Pool Magazine
10. Craft Outbound Marketing Campaigns
Listening in is the outcome of a disciplined process. Create outbound campaigns via LinkedIn and other social media platforms to engage email clients, prospects and centers of influence. Introduce yourself to media focused on your space and position yourself as a thought leader. Research strategies to launch on podcast platforms like Spotify and iTunes. For the podcast itself, focus on the delivery of value to the listener. – Gregory Roll, Touchpoint Associates
11. Deliver Valuable Content
Focus on delivering valuable content that resonates with your target audience. Identify your niche, understand your audience’s needs, provide consistent value, promote your podcast through various channels, encourage listener engagement and optimize for discovery on different podcast platforms. By following these steps, you can increase your chances of attracting and retaining a loyal listener base. – Asaad Hakeem, SARC MedIQ Inc.
12. Combine Education And Entertainment
Make it educational with a flair for entertainment. The best-performing podcasts educate, not sell. Therefore, create content about your expertise and solve problems for potential customers rather than selling your products or services. – Gaidar Magdanurov, Acronis
13. Find Your Niche
The number one mistake I see with new podcasts is a lack of direction. I started a super niche podcast for an industry we serve and I’ve had no problem getting sponsors and listeners. I recommend finding your niche, determining what people in that niche would want to listen to and drawing up your plan. I also suggest having a plan for each episode but don’t be afraid to go off script. – Ryan Lucia, Such n Such Media
14. Prioritize The Community First
I recommend becoming “news media” for the community. I would focus on those in the community I want to impact before I focus on having big stars on. For example, if I own a dentistry, interviewing the city council may have more of an impact than a high-profile celebrity. Community is not just geographic either. If you are in a niche, focus on the people who are well-known in your niche. – Todd Price, Perimeter Roofing
15. Keep It Conversational
Ensure your podcast is conversational. Consider having two hosts versus just one person because it will make it more dynamic. Identify other thought leaders in your specific niche and invite them to your podcast. It is a great way to build a community of like-minded thinkers and provide a depth of ideas. – Chris Williams, Interaction Associates
16. Make It Easy To Find
Optimize and promote smartly. Make sure your podcast is easy to find. Use SEO-friendly titles and descriptions to improve visibility on podcast platforms and search engines. Share snippets and episodes on social media, tapping into hashtags and communities relevant to your podcast’s theme. Encouraging reviews can also significantly boost your podcast’s discoverability, drawing in a wider audience. – Jo Stephens, Law Firm Sites, Inc.
17. Collaborate With Influential Guests
The main key is collaborating with influential guests who can bring their audience, significantly amplifying your podcast’s reach. It’s often easier to attract successful speakers because they’re also looking for platforms to share their content, making it a mutually beneficial partnership. This partnership can significantly amplify your podcast’s visibility and listener base. – Kolja Brand, Aurum Future
18. Include A Video Component
Do it with video. By livestreaming on YouTube, your podcast is now indexed within the largest search engine in the world. You won’t have to spend a penny or second on post-production, and you can answer questions from your audience on a regular basis. Then use programs like Opus Clip to cut up the podcast into reels for TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. – Shane Murphy, UGC Pro
19. Make Listening A Fun And Worthwhile Experience
Podcasts must be fun and worthwhile to listen to. People who listen to podcasts want to learn with a smile. To ensure listeners tune in, offer valuable content tailored to your audience, maintain a consistent schedule, prioritize audio quality, promote across channels, engage with your audience, collaborate and persistently refine your approach. – Atte Suominen, PADEL1969
20. Make It High Quality
There’s only one way for a podcast to grow an audience and succeed: It has to be good. There are no hacks, shortcuts or tricks. We’ve seen with our podcast that good quality content that engages with a very specific audience and is consistently delivered always wins the day. It takes preparation, patience and persistence. It also takes a commitment to adding value. – Mike Esterday, Integrity Solutions
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