6 STEPS TO LAUNCHING YOUR OWN

So, you’re thinking about starting your own podcast?

I think that’s a great idea! I’ve written on the topic of podcasting a couple of times on my . I share that the overall popularity of podcasting is on the rise and I also shared a few reasons that you should start your own podcast.

6 Steps to Launching Your Own Podcast:

1. Naming Your Podcast Page | 2 Choose from one of the three categories to name your podcast for success.

2. Creating Cover Art Page | 3 Get really creative with your cover art. It needs to draw people in and peek interest.

3. Creating Your Podcast Description Page | 4 There are 4 main components that go into writing a description that will convert.

4. Choosing a Framework Page | 5 Your podcast framework is what will keep you on track and help you grow an audience.

5. Selecting Theme Music Page | 6 You need a cool intro/outro that people like. Choose wisely! (Without getting in trouble)

6. How to Record Your Podcast Episodes Page | 7 You don’t need to spend a ton of money to start recording. You already have what you need.

Once you’ve finished these 6 things, you’ve finished the most time-consuming parts of podcasting. You’re ready to get started. I’ll share more about that at the end of this PDF. (Don’t skip ahead; get it all done!)

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#1. Naming Your Podcast

Your podcast title is essential. It’s just as important as naming a web page or blog post that you want people to visit. I’ve broken down naming your podcast into three main categories.

Please note: The examples that I pulled are all on the top 100 list of current most popular podcast shows. I mention this to say that there is no right or wrong way to name your show. It all depends on what the goal of your podcast show is.

#1. Branded Podcast Name

The branded name is best suited for an already established business or professional. If you have a substantial following, the easiest way to connect your podcast to your brand is by using the title that already identifies you. For example, “The Dave Ramsey Show,” or “The Tony Robbins Podcast.” Both of these titles keep the prominent, recognizable brand name at the helm so that listeners will know who’s voice it comes from.

#2. Creative Podcast Name

The creative name is a more abstract and intriguing title. It makes the audience want to know more. This option is good for a business that wants their podcast to show their brand in an unexpected or untraditional light. For instance, “Stuff You Should Know,” or “How I Built This.” These names are intriguing but vague. It tells the listener what they’ll hear, but it doesn’t describe what it’s about exactly. The most successful creative names are then supplemented by strong artwork to paint a clearer picture of the show’s subject matter. (We’ll cover artwork next.)

#3. Descriptive Podcast Name

The descriptive name is perhaps the most effective option for growing a following. It is a literal technique that tells the audience exactly what they should expect to hear. This makes your podcast the easiest to find in an online search. It creates optimum visibility for directing interested listeners to your show. Examples here would be “Entrepreneurship Stories 4 Inspiration: Millionaire Interviews,” or “Passive Real Estate Investing.” It’s obvious what these podcast shows are about. If your searching for these terms, you’ll find them easily.

Which is Right for You?

A combination of brand, creativity, and description is the optimal plan for choosing a podcast title. However, when it comes down to it, the most important thing is to make sure your ideal audience can find your show.

It’s very important that you keep your podcast title short. You want people to quickly be able to read and understand what your podcast is about.

Head to your Podcast app to get inspired by already existing podcast names. Notice the trends, see what works and what doesn’t, and always let your personality shine through!

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#2. Creating Cover Art

If you’re creating a podcast for a company, you may be tempted to use your company/brand logo. If you’re an individual, you may be tempted to use an image of yourself or something generic. I wouldn’t consider any of these things to be a bad idea. But, the more your image stands out among the list of shows on iTunes, the more people will listen to your show. Because of that, I wanted to cover how to make your own podcast cover art.

Cover Art Size

Your cover art needs to be 1400 x 1400 pixels. Make sure that it is symmetrical, and high quality to avoid heavy pixelation and stretching. A high-quality image is the main goal!

#1. Select an image

Make sure you use your own image or royalty free images. (Click here for a definition) I have a few websites that I prefer to use: https://pixabay.com, https://www.pexels.com, https://unsplash.com. Or you can go to Google Images and turn on “labeled for reuse” (Google > Images > Tools > Usage Rights > Change it to: “labeled for reuse”)

#2. Add text to your image

If you’ve never added text to an image before, fear not! It's very simple thanks to some great free tools available. The one that I prefer to use is Canva. Visit https://www.canva.com and register a free account.

Best practices for creating cover art for your podcast:

• Make sure it goes well with your brand. • Keep the design simple and clean. • Avoid including small details, keep everything large and visible. • Any fonts you use need to be large and simple to read. • The fewer words you use, the better. • Here is a popular podcast cover art list that many people reference:

I have found some of my favorite examples of podcast cover art on Pinterest. Here’s a link to a board full of great ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/maryefernandez/podcast-cover-art

Get inspired, get creative and start making different revisions of possible cover art for your podcast. Once you have some options together, ask people for honest feedback on what you’ve created.

Learn More About Podcasting → NGUOnline.com Page | 3 6 STEPS TO LAUNCHING YOUR OWN PODCAST

#3. Creating Your Podcast Description

Your description is what leads people to listen to your podcast show. Think of it this way, your title and image draw people to your description; then your description is what will cause them to listen. Your description serves as a way for your potential listeners to validate that your podcast is the one they want to listen to.

First off, I’d like to answer the question I always get asked when discussing your podcast description. “Where is my podcast description displayed?” It is directly under your podcast title and artwork on iTunes. It’s displayed on iTunes desktop website and directly on the podcast app.

Now that you know where your podcast description is located let’s get into the four main points to keep in mind when creating your podcast description.

#1. Focus on Your Audience’s Expectations

At the end of the day, when you’re writing your podcast description, you need to be fully aware of who your target market is and what they are expecting from your podcast.

If you’re using ‘clever’ headlines or ‘inside statements,’ you’ll need to remember that new users won’t understand this, and it will put them off listening. Try to appeal to a wider, broader audience by keeping your verbiage neutral.

#2. Ideal Podcast Description Length

It’s important to remember that people are searching for something to LISTEN to; not to READ. You want to keep your descriptions, short and straight to the point. Just enough to interest people enough to start listening OR just enough to serve as a confirmation that this podcast is what they are looking for. Keep it short and to the point. I researched new and notable podcasts and some of the most popular podcasts. They all have one thing in common: short yet powerful descriptions.

#3. Think Outside the Box

A great place to get inspired for creating the perfect description for your podcast is to browse through some of the popular podcast shows. Get ideas and get inspired! Come up with something clever that draws your ideal audience to listen to your podcast. Get feedback on this, ask others, and spend a lot of time coming up with something unique and interesting.

#4. Keep SEO in Mind

Here is the part that scares people. “SEO???” Yes, but it’s not like trying to rank on Google, it’s much simpler for podcasts. When people are searching for your podcast, it will use words from within your description. You want to include something that your podcast will be covering or the overall theme. When people search for what your podcast is about, you want it to come up in the search results.

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#4. Choosing a Framework

Your podcast framework is the “style” of the podcast show you are creating. Choosing a framework creates consistency for you and your listeners. This is vital to the success of your podcast.

Consistency is a crucial element in building a strong following. Your listeners need to be able to know what they’ll be listening to while at the same time be able to explain it to their friends.

When choosing your framework, you must ask yourself the following three questions:

1. How long will each episode be? (Episode Length) 2. What format will you use for your podcast? (Podcast Format) 3. How often will you post new episodes? (Episode Schedule)

Episode Length

Determine how long your episode is going to be, then stick to it as close as you can. One of the worse things you can do is have a 15-minute episode one week, and then the next week have an episode that’s 2 hours. Figure out how long your episodes will be, then stick to it. (I recommend short episodes)

Podcast Format

Here are the five most popular podcast formats:

• Interviews (Normally you are the host, and you rotate guests) • Conversational (Two or more people having topical conversations) • Educational (Very specific and helpful on a topic of interest to your listeners) • Solo-casts (Just you, doing what you do best) • Storytelling (This is for you if you can tell a story that keeps people engaged)

There is no right or wrong format to use. It is up to you to decide which one is going to help you accomplish your goal. What’s most important is once you pick one, stick with it throughout all of your future episodes.

Post Schedule

As I have mentioned, consistency is crucial. Releasing episodes on a scheduled basis is key to growing a following. People need you to be consistent. Figure out how often you will post, let your audience know, then stick to it.

Don’t make the error of telling your audience that you are going to post every week, only to leave them hanging when only post once a month or whenever you have time.

Remember, consistency is your goal. The way you measure this is through your listeners’ ability to explain your podcast to their friends. Example: “You should check out this podcast! They have a new interview episode every Monday, and it’s only 20-minutes!” (That’s how you grow a following)

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#5. Selecting Theme Music

Theme music for a podcast is what most people use in their intro and as their outro. Some podcast shows also use music mid-episode for advertisements or announcements.

Quick FYI about music for your podcast: You can get into serious trouble for using people’s music without permission or paying royalties.

That may lead you to wonder, “What can I do?”

That is a valid question and one that I found myself asking when I was first found out that using people’s music was illegal. Thankfully, there are options out there for you!

There are companies and groups of very generous people who produce royalty free music. Meaning, you can use the songs they post without needing to pay or get permission. It is there for us all to use, freely!

There are many places to find royalty free music. You can start by searching Google. Alternatively, you can use the same resource I use. I always end up going back to the popular YouTube channel called NoCopyrightSounds (NCS). This is my favorite place to get music for my podcasts.

Here’s a link to their page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_aEa8K-EOJ3D6gOs7HcyNg

They release a lot of music that works perfectly for podcast intros/outros. Every podcast show I have created uses (different) songs found on the NCS channel!

What kind of music should I pick for my podcast?

This is a common question. However, it is a question only you can answer. The music you select is going to depend on the look, feel and style of your podcast show. Only you can know what is going to work well for your podcast.

With that said, here are a few recommended guidelines to follow:

1. Pick a song that has a good place to fade out the sound or a place with a song ending so you can pick up the episode.

2. Avoid picking a song that is lyrically heavy. Instrumental is usually the better choice.

3. Make sure the sound and tempo match the first voice that appears on the podcast. You want your music to match the tone of your podcast.

4. Remember, the song is supposed o complement the words you speak on your podcast episodes, not the other way around.

Remember, selecting the right theme music is all about finding something that fits the overall feel of your podcast. (I will cover editing music to fit your podcast later. For now, store the song you want.)

Learn More About Podcasting → NGUOnline.com Page | 6 6 STEPS TO LAUNCHING YOUR OWN PODCAST

#6. How to Record Your Podcast Episodes

Recording your first episode sounds scary. Right? What will you need to buy? Where do you need to go (recording studio) to record good quality?

What if I told you, all you need is your living room and your mobile phone? Believe it or not, that is all you need to get started with your first (and all future) episodes for your podcast.

I’m an iPhone user. I use the built-in Voice Memo app in my phone. It works perfectly for recording podcast episodes. Whatever kind of smartphone you have, you have a built-in recording application which will work just fine for recording episodes.

There are some hacks you can do to improve the sound quality of your recording from your mobile device. I’ll list a few of them here:

• Make sure the room has no echo, do a test recording before recording the full episode. • Get the room as quiet as possible. Turn off your HVAC, fans, air purifies, TV. • Place your recording device (mobile phone) directly in front of you and talk into it. • Put a pillow under your mobile phone as it removes additional echo. • Test, test and test again. It’s all about figuring out what produces the best sound quality.

Once you’ve completed your first episode, I highly recommend recording your second and third episode as well. I see far too many new podcasts release a first episode, then it takes months to get a second or third released. Finish multiple episodes at one time.

That’s it! You’re done and ready to launch your podcast show. The next/final step is to get your podcast listed on iTunes. Here are the official instructions from iTunes for listing a podcast on their app: “Specify an RSS Feed URL. Feeds must conform to the RSS 2.0 spec and contain podcast artwork at least 1400 x 1400 pixels formatted as JPG or PNG in the RGB color space.”

That sounds difficult, right?

It’s actually not that difficult. Plus, you completed a large portion of the work by completing this PDF.

I figured out how to decode iTunes instructions AND I took it a step further. I do 100% of my podcasting directly from my iPhone. I don’t even use a computer for editing. The best part, it’s completely free, which is also unheard of in the expensive world of podcasting.

This has enabled me to post new episodes from anywhere. I’ve posted new episodes from my favorite spot on the beach and while I’m at the gym. I no longer have to be in a studio.

I want to teach you how! Unfortunately, that is too much to cover in this PDF. But, if you are interested, please consider enrolling in my Start a Podcast for Free Using Only Your iPhone online course. I applied an additional 20% off coupon for you in that link to help you get started for less.

This course has detailed instructions, videos and hands on training. If you’re serious about starting your podcast, this is the way to go. Mobile podcasting is the future!

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