Starting a Podcast
I posted this to social media. It’s both funny and tells people about the process.
Hi!
Benlunar has now been out for about 3 weeks so I wanted to write a post about what I’ve learned during this crucial time in its life. There are hopefully tips here for new podcast makers as well as insights for fans who want to know more about me/the process involved.
Before The Big Day
Benlunar was officially released on the 20th of January 2020, I had negotiated this date with Tom (the composer) before Christmas 2019 because I wanted to give him enough time to put the final touches on the tracks needed for the episodes. We had been talking through the music design for some time and he’d already sent some tracks over which I loved and decided to make into a trailer.
Tip 1 - The Trailer
Releasing a trailer was a piece of advice I’d been given by a friend and I have to say, of all the advice I sought this was one of the best. This is for a few reasons:
It gives your social media platforms a first post.
Before official release, you should set up a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page for your podcast. If possible, they should all have the same handle. This will help in searches and shout-outs. I actually combined my trailer with a small video of my art work so that listeners had something to look at while interacting with the trailer on social media. I’m going to do a whole other social media post at some point as it’s important.
It gives Apple something to approve.
Before your podcast can be found on iTunes and Apple Podcasts it needs to be approved. Apparently this can take up to TWO WEEKS, although that was not my experience. Mine was approved in 3 days so I was still able to release the podcast on the agreed date (once approved episodes show up quickly).
It gets people excited.
Remember to include your release date in your trailer. Or at least on the text that follows it on social media posts. This give people something to refer to. Include words like ‘Subscribe now!’ or ‘Download Here!’ and link to the Apple page or your website (or both!)
It gives people a taste.
The first people who listen to your podcast will be your friends. That’s fine! But they should know a bit about the flavour of it before it comes out so that when discussing podcasts or relevant themes in the coming days they can say: ‘Oh my friend is doing a podcast about that' or ‘Simon’s podcast is about kid’s literature too!’ The trailers should make things OBVIOUS. Anyone listening should be able to describe what the podcast is about in just one sentence.
The First Few Hours
Release day for me was a nerve wracking experience.
I elected to release 3 episodes of Benlunar on the very first day. I did this for a few reasons. Mainly it was so that people didn’t just listen to one and then forget about it. If they listened to one, I wanted them to want to listen to two. Then it would be easy for them to get the third. By the end of the third episode they’ve invested an hour and a half of their time into the characters and they would hopefully want to know what happened to them. Benlunar is a fiction podcast so it has the advantage of ending on cliff hangers. I plan on doing a blog post about writing audio fiction in the future! With that strategy taken care of, it was time to get it out there!
Tip 2 - The First Few Listeners
The first thing you need to do on release day is get your friends listening. I was lucky in the fact that I could clear my whole day and dedicate it to marketing the release. The first thing I did was compose this email, making sure to include all my contacts in BCC:
As you can see, this email covers a lot but does so simply and directly. The main message is: LOOK WHAT I’VE DONE! The last part is crucial because it provides instructions as to how to leave a review. Reviews are great but didn’t start happening for me until a few days in and even then, only after asking a few friends specifically.
Tip 3 - Your first social media posts
It goes without saying that you need to shout about this from every social media mountain that you have. However! Be sure to subtly hint at WHY people should click on your link and listen. The best strategy for this is to start thinking like your ideal listener. For me it was: I’m a parent who loves podcasts and Harry Potter. That sentence became my go-to phrase when constructing posts. Be sure to include a photo or video with every post you do, as well as a link for people to click through to where they can listen. Posts with visual media have statistically higher interactions. Be sure to include hashtags that reveal a bit more about your themes. I use #childrensbook and #adventure, not because they would get a lot of attention but because they revealed in just a few characters what people could expect when they listened. Remember, you’re targeting interests. People should read your posts and think: That sounds SO ME!
Tip 4 - Reviews
As the old saying goes: Ask and thou shalt receive. It was as true for Jesus as it is for podcasters. If you don’t ask, you won’t get any reviews. Ask your partner, your best friend, your parents, your siblings, anyone you know! And then ask your audience at the end of your episodes. Most of my early reviews have been lovely and from people I know but a few in there have been from strangers and that’s been really nice to see. There’s some debate as to how useful they are in getting new listeners, but I would still recommend doing this see as it definitely falls under the umbrella of ‘marketing your podcast’.
What Happened Next
At the time of writing I have 477 subscribers. I’m pretty happy with that considering I’ve come from nowhere and didn’t have a big online presence before releasing Benlunar. My analytics page looks like this:
Now that big jump looks impressive, but it all depends on your point of view. If I had half a million instagram followers then 500 subscribers wouldn’t be that impressive. However, I’m still proud as this number is larger than my friend circle alone, which means people are finding Benlunar and enjoying it. I hope that number will grow, it’s a marathon after all, not a sprint.
In Conclusion
I’ve learned so much in such a short time. I would do things differently if I started again, but all things considered I’m very happy with the progress and reception. Here are some final tips to help get you started on your own podcast journey:
Find other podcasts that are starting at a similar time and connect with them.
Promote other podcasts on twitter. It might seem counter-productive but praising other people’s work will direct their audience to yours and everybody wins. Sharing is caring!
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Your podcast should be made to the best of your ability but at the end of the day your audience is getting your time and experience for free! So don’t fret about everything being perfect.
Consider printing flyers and putting them in your local cafes/libraries.
Follow the heat. Get a good analytics app or source and see where and how people are finding your podcast. Then… do more of that!
Think different. Once you’ve done all of this, think about how you can connect with people in new ways. You never know what might work!
Thank you for reading and listening. I wish everyone the best with their podcasts and I hope to see you back here soon!
Lots of love,
Simon