Podcasting has become a lot easier today than it ever was before. A budding podcaster such as yourself no longer has to master the archaic RSS Feed in order to publish your own show over the digital airwaves.

SoundCloud was one of the first platforms to offer intuitive podcasting services to the people of the internet. Despite lacking press recognition, it has remained one of the most affordable and user-friendly podcasting platforms out there.

If you’re a relatively new podcaster, one of the first things you have to learn is how to develop a killer content strategy that will help you reel ever more listeners in.

Learning how to come up with quality content should come before any optimization tactic or technique. Having a solid content strategy should help you establish your authority as a podcaster and determine how you can provide value your listeners.

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Determine Your Goals

These days you can create a podcast for just about any topic under the sun, making it quite challenging to identify your niche and goals.

Start by identifying which sub-category within your interests requires your expertise. Scour blogs, forums, and online communities related to your niche to identify what people are inquiring about the most.

Once you’ve identified the sub-category you want to base your podcast around, you can easily identify HOW you want to help your listeners out. Is it by providing expert advice? Or by discussing the hottest news? The direction you choose will determine the goals of your podcast, and should be based on your current skills and interests.

After identifying what you want to offer your listeners, you can identify your goals. With a little brainstorming and tons of research, you’ll easily generate podcast ideas for your chosen path.

Develop Your Pool of Ideas

Think of episode ideas as blog topics. Come up with as many ideas as you can and edit them down later.

By generating a good amount of episode ideas, you should be able to come up with a more consistent lineup of episodes that are aligned with your goals as a podcaster.

Story Worthy is a show that talks about interesting encounters with celebrities, told through real-life accounts from bystanders. Hosted by Christine Blackburn, this show manages to put a hilarious and perplexing spin on some riveting celebrity encounters.

This tells you that you can make a podcast on just about anything – as long as it’s of value to the type of listeners you want to attract. Finding a new interesting angle on an already existing podcast idea is one way to get noticed.

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Don’t Come in Without a Plan

In order to stand out on SoundCloud, you have to find ways to creatively deliver what you want to say through various formats.

Sift is a podcast hosted by an editor and researcher named Bishop Sand. His show is based around the ways our views are influenced by the people around us – sounds pretty non-specific right? But Sand has a plan.

Sand manages to tackle this wide-ranging topic by interviewing scientists and philosophers in order to provide his listeners with first-hand expert insights on the topic.

Many podcasters within his niche would rely on their sole knowledge of the topic, along with their research skills. But by bringing in experts on his show, he’s able to provide his listeners with first-hand insights from perspectives they don’t often hear from.

Find the best format for your podcast. You don’t even have to stick to just one format, you can switch things up until you find the right one that benefits your listeners the most.

Put Your Ideas into Action

This is probably one of the most exciting parts for any new podcaster – setting everything in motion. Now that you already have a bunch of episode ideas and a format in mind, you can begin recording and publishing your podcast.

Group together ideas that belong in one show so you can avoid creating repeat content, which will give you a more cohesive lineup of episodes. This will make it easier for your listeners to understand the messages you're trying to deliver.

When it comes to equipment, you don’t have to spend a fortune. As long as you have a device that can record and save a recording in MP3 format, you can begin producing a podcast. You can even make do with just your mobile phone or laptop! A lot of great, popular podcasts have started that way.

When you become more acquainted with the podcasting trade and maybe even make some money, you can slowly begin investing in high-grade yet affordable microphones to improve the sound quality of your show.

There are plenty of entry-level microphones out there that can provide you with superior sound quality without breaking the bank.

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The Yeti Blue Microphones are among the most popular microphones out there for beginners. It’s a USB microphone that comes in a variety of models for optimum sound recording.

You can get yours on Amazon for only $104.99.

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Or, the CAD U37 USB Studio Condenser Recording Microphone might be the device for you. It’s a USB condenser mic that records warm and rich sound while reducing unwanted background noise. For only $37.99, you get superb sound quality without spending a lot.

When recording your podcast, don’t think too hard about the duration of each episode. Your main priority should be to keep your listeners engaged for as long as possible.

Podcasts such as Hardcore History go on for up to 5 hours without skipping a beat, even though most other podcasts aren’t nearly as long. But they manage to pack each episode with enough information to keep their history-loving fans interested.

Buy Plays for an Impressive Social Proof

The truth is, you can’t grow impressive social proof overnight – if you solely rely on organic growth.

One of the best ways to reliably grow an impressive amount of social proof on a platform like SoundCloud, in the least amount of time possible, is by purchasing high-quality Plays from a reputable provider.

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An impressive amount of plays will also cause intrigue among casual browsers who chance upon your podcast – helping you attract more listeners without overly exhausting your marketing energy.

If you’re attracted to the idea of purchasing an impressive amount of SoundCloud Plays for cheap, keep in mind that the cheapest providers do not always offer comprehensive guarantees that protect your best interest as a customer. If you want to make sure you get exactly what you pay for, stick with tried and tested providers like those reviewed on our website.

Launch it

Upon launching your podcast, keep track of the initial reception you receive from your first few listeners. They will give you valuable insight on how you can tweak your next episodes in order to accommodate your listeners’ concerns.

Remember to engage with your first set of listeners. If they like you, they’re likely to become some of your most loyal fans if you manage to keep them interested. Establishing a relationship with your listeners should help you develop fresh and relevant ideas for your next episodes.

Managing Your Podcast

Make sure to include discussion topics as well as the name of guests in the titles to give your listeners an idea of what each episode is all about. This will help optimize each episode and make it more easily found by listeners who are on the lookout for specific topics.

The Dinner Party Download is dubbed “a variety show for your ears.” They regularly do interviews with known celebrities and artists. Their aptly titled episodes give their listeners an overview of the show, including the name of the guests featured and the discussion topic.

It’s important that you give each episode a clear title so that listeners would know exactly what and who they’re listening to.

Spread the Word About Your Podcast & Keep Brainstorming

Now that you have a newly published podcast on SoundCloud, you can begin spreading the word and inviting listeners to your show.

Ask your friends and family to be the first ones to listen so they can provide you with their personal insights about your new show. They can also be your first set of fans who can strengthen your social proof.

Combine these strategies with a few thousand high-quality SoundCloud Plays from a provider you can trust to give yourself a big boost.

Learn how to create an adaptive content strategy for your podcast, one that responds to what your listeners want. This should help you keep your podcast fresh, interesting and relevant.

Never stop brainstorming new ideas for your show. As soon as a new idea hits you, do your research and hit that record button.

The ideas are out there, learn how to find them and incorporate them into a thought-provoking show of your own.

Date: June 20, 2017 / Categories: Getting Discovered, Marketing, / Author: Mariko