What Moves the Needle When It Comes to Planning & Running a Podcast?

12/15/21 • 48 min

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PodCraft | How to Podcast & Craft a Fantastic Show

There's no shortage of things to focus on when it comes to planning, launching, and running your own podcast.

From buying the right mic and choosing a hosting platform, to coming up with a show name and sorting out your cover art, these all fall under the umbrella of "podcasting". But all podcasting tasks aren't created equally. Some of the things you do can have a huge impact on your show's success, whilst others can be little more than a distraction.

On this episode of Podcraft, we decided to reflect on a combined 20+ years of podcasting. Of all the podcasts we've launched and ran between us in that time, which factors do we feel helped move the needle?

Also mentioned on this episode were our Podcraft community and the Portuguese translations of some of our top articles.

Podcasting Factors That Move the Needle (Or Don't)

We both scored each of the following out of 10 (10 for very important, 0 for not important at all), added up the scores, and ranked them into an overall list. The aim was for new and aspiring podcasters to help decide whether they were spending too much time on one thing, or not enough time on something else.

1. Defining Your Target Audience

The most important factor was identifying who you want to reach, and why. Not spending some time nailing this down in the planning stages can lead to your content being directionless and vague. You want new listeners to hear your podcast and think "this is exactly what I've been looking for."

For more help with this, check out the following articles:

2. Deciding on Your Podcast's Name

Naming your podcast can feel like a tricky barrier to overcome. It's also a very important one. If potential listeners don't immediately know what your show's about when they see it, then many of them will skip past it without even reading the description. With podcast names, there's no such thing as "boring". If you come up with an ultra-descriptive "as it says on the tin" name and it isn't already taken - grab it.

For more on this, check out How to Name Your Podcast.

3. Your Episode Titles

This is another huge factor in turning traffic (your target audience, searching for your topic) into listeners. Descriptive and compelling episode titles will help your show be found, and they'll also encourage those searching to hit play. Don't waste this important space by putting the word "episode" in there. You don't need to write your podcast name beside every episode title either.

For more on this, check out How to Title Your Episodes.

Want to See the Full List?
Head on over to the shownotes at ThePodcastHost.com

Support the show

There's no shortage of things to focus on when it comes to planning, launching, and running your own podcast.

Also mentioned on this episode were our Podcraft community and the Portuguese translations of some of our top articles.

Podcasting Factors That Move the Needle (Or Don't)

1. Defining Your Target Audience

For more help with this, check out the following articles:

2. Deciding on Your Podcast's Name

For more on this, check out How to Name Your Podcast.

3. Your Episode Titles

For more on this, check out How to Title Your Episodes.

Want to See the Full List?
Head on over to the shownotes at ThePodcastHost.com

Support the show

Previous Episode

Can You Take Care of a Baby AND a Podcast? Podcasting & Parenting

In this episode of Podcraft, Matthew and Colin talk about podcasting and parenting. They discuss the joys of being a new dad, from early morning buggy walks, to "having a good moan" about one's kids.
Brought to you by Alitu: The Podcast Maker and The Podcast Host Planner

Parents always think they’re organized and resilient. The same's true for podcasters. Kids are unpredictable, and podcasting can be the same way. The key takeaway from this discussion about podcasting and parenting is to be honest with your audience.

Colin recommends that new parents who make podcasts should plan ahead, but stay flexible, and be kind to themselves during this time.

They discussed episode release schedules, such as podcasting in seasons, as opposed to publishing episodes at random intervals. Colin recommends lining up some episodes in advance of your child's arrival, then publishing each over time.

For parents who can't leave their child unattended, don't try to multi-task. It's better to do one thing well, instead of multitasking a few things, poorly.

Don't Wish It Away

This is a big milestone in one's life. It's worth not trying to do too much for your podcast. When babies are unpredictable and need a lot of care, there's a tendency to, as Matthew says, "wish things forward until the dust settles." Colin adds that parents should try to enjoy the early days while they can. In 13 years or so, your kids will want to do their own thing. You'll have plenty of time for podcasting then.

As a dad to two kids, Colin says, "the first year, especially the first three months, are hell." Plus, every kid is different. This isn't a good life stage for the results-oriented. But, he adds, the first six months are when babies sleep the most. Use this to your advantage: grab time for sleep and/or work when you can.

Colin adds that when babies are six to twelve months old, since they're more mobile, they need more supervision. They're more likely to grab things, like mixing board sliders. This is the age to child-proof your recording gear.
Be realistic about your plans. Think of this time as maintenance mode. Again, communicate clearly and positively with your audience. It’s not going to kill your show if you miss an episode.

Work sessions with shorter periods of time can force you to really focus. Be accepting of the work that you can get done in a shorter amount of time. Colin says, “a task will always expand to fill the time allowed.” If you only have forty-five minutes while the baby's out for a walk or napping, you can't procrastinate, overthink, or be too much of a perfectionist.

Rethink your show’s format. How can you bring value in less time, while still being yourself and making the same kind of show? For example, instead of hour-long interview episodes, can you make fifteen-minute episodes of productive tips?

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Next Episode

A Brands-Eye View of the Podcasting Industry, & Podcast Episode Swaps

We talk a lot about audience growth in our articles. In fact, promotion and growth is the number 1 thing podcasters struggle with, according to our recent podcaster problems survey.

One of the tips we've recommended for years is to see the other podcasters in your space as collaborators, rather than competition. Cross-promotion is a great example of the old saying "a rising tide lifts all boats". After all, this medium is on-demand, and it isn't like your listeners have to choose between your show and someone else's.

We had the opportunity to get involved in a podcast episode swap recently with the excellent Evo Terra and his industry essential Podcast Pontifications show. It's a show I'm sure you'll love, and this episode is an ideal taster of what you can expect to hear, 4 days a week, if you hit the subscribe button.

Here's the episode of Podcraft that was featured over there too - it was all about question research and how this strategy can help you create episodes to pull in new listeners.
Podcast Pontifications

Before we jump into the episode content, let's take a quick look at the show's description so you can get a better idea of what it's about and who it's for.

"Where plenty of podcasts about podcasting (PAPs) tell you what to do, Podcast Pontifications gives you what to think about in podcasting. These daily, insightful forward-looking episodes have one central tenet: Podcasting needs to be made better, not just easier. Designed for the working podcaster, these short-form episodes get you thinking about the future of podcasting and how you can better prepare yourself -- and your shows -- for the future. The goal is simple: help you develop critical thinking skills needed to make the best future-proofed podcast you can with the tools of today. Plus a few sneak previews of what might be coming tomorrow."

And now to the episode itself, here's the question that Evo is pontificating on...

"Nearly twenty years in, and many podcasters still have trouble thinking of podcasting as an industry. But our problem does not plague cash-flush brands looking to enter our industry. Who's perspective will win out? "

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