Podcasting for your business is one of the best marketing and sales tools to invest your time and money in as an online coach and service provider. A podcast is evergreen content, meaning that potential clients can find your episodes weeks, months, and years after you publish them. You want searchable content like a podcast as part of your marketing and sales strategy because it keeps you visible and sells your offers even when you aren’t actively showing up. And when done right, it attracts clients who are actively searching for the solutions you offer and are ready to invest in support now. While a podcast is a powerful marketing and sales asset, there are 7 things you need to know before you start a podcast. Knowing these 7 things before you publish your first episode will help you set realistic expectations and set you up for success.
7 Things You Need to Know BEFORE Starting a Podcast for Your Business
1. Choosing the Best Microphone (or Podcast Equipment) is NOT the Most Important Part of Starting a Podcast
Whenever I meet a business owner who wants to start a podcast, one of the first questions they ask is which microphone is best and what tech they need. While having a quality microphone is important for capturing good audio, it is not the most important aspect of starting a podcast. Podcasting in business is different from hobby and influencer podcasting. Your goal isn’t to grow an audience of fans or get brand deals and sponsorships. As a coach or service provider, your focus is on attracting your highest quality leads to your podcast so you can build trust and convert them into your offers. You don’t need a podcast studio set up to achieve that.
2. Your Podcast Concept Matters More Than the Tech
Before you choose your podcast name or hit record on your first episode, you need to develop your podcast concept. Your podcast concept is the foundation of your podcast and will help you build one that grows your email list and moves listeners to reach out to work with you. You must answer these four questions to develop your podcast concept: the WHO, WHAT, WHY, and HOW of your podcast. If you’re serious about starting a podcast for your business and want to build your podcast concept first, download my free private podcast series that walks you through each of these questions and teaches you what role each of these answers plays in your podcast.
3. Recording Mostly Guest Interviews is NOT the Answer to Growing Your Podcast Audience
One myth running rampant in the podcasting space is that having many guests, especially big name ones, is the key to increasing your podcast downloads and gaining a ton of new listeners. Here’s the problem with this belief: Just because someone guests on your podcast doesn’t mean they will share about it with their audience. Sure, you can ask them to, but at the end of the day, they may choose not to share about the episode. And if they do promote the episode, you can’t guarantee that their audience will stick around past their interview or that their audience is aligned with yours. There are far more effective ways to grow your podcast audience (some of which I discuss in episode 312 of the Evergreen Marketing Era for Women Entrepreneurs Podcast).
4. It May Be Your Podcast, But It is NOT About You
I’m going to hold your hand when I say this, but if you want your podcast to generate leads and clients, you can’t talk about what YOU want to talk about on your podcast. Your podcast has to be about your ideal listener. Your podcast should provide them with answers to the questions they are asking related to your expertise, the solutions they are searching for, and address the problems keeping them up at night that you can solve. This isn’t to say you can’t infuse your personality or share tidbits about you in your episodes, but the focus has to be on your ideal listener.
5. You Don’t Have to Leave Your Personality At the Door Just Because You’re Starting a Business Podcast
While your podcast isn’t about you, it doesn’t mean you have to remove yourself from your content. You should infuse your personality into your podcast episodes. Podcasting in business doesn’t mean you have to be polished and professional or shut off your sense of humor. In fact, you should show up as your authentic self. This is how you attract listeners with aligned values who will be perfect fit clients, while repelling those who would be a nightmare to work with. Infuse storytelling in your episodes, including personal stories, and be your fun, quirky self. Be the person your listeners will get when they hire you.
6. Know What Your Call to Action is BEFORE You Outline and Record Your Episodes
Since you are podcasting in business, you need to treat your podcast like a marketing and sales asset. Before you outline and record an episode, you should already know what you want listeners to do after they listen. This is how you ensure every episode has a call to action and you aren’t leaving it for the last 5 seconds. Knowing what your call to action is before you start outlining and recording helps you give your episode purpose. You know what the goal is, and you can see what role this episode will play in growing your business.
7. Your First 50+ Episodes Will Suck
Podcasting is a learned skill, and the only way to learn a skill is by doing it over and over again. Unless you have a background in radio or are a former talk show host, you will have to practice podcasting. And the way to practice is to record and publish more episodes. Yes, you will cringe when you play back those early episodes, but it will all be worth it when you do find your podcasting voice. Bottom line is that you have to keep going to get to the good stuff. You will get better and find a rhythm that works for you, but you have to experience the cringe, embarrassing stage first.
Final Thoughts
These are the 7 things you need to know before starting a podcast. They are the things I wish I knew before I started my podcast years ago. And they’re the things I tell my podcast launch clients. Podcasting in business doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and you can start a podcast that grows your business. The key is to approach podcasting like a marketing and sales tool from the beginning.
If you want to start a podcast for your business the right way, check out my podcast launch course, Podcast Like a Business Owner. This is the go-to podcast launch course for coaches and service providers who want to start a podcast that grows their email list and gets them clients. You learn both the tech and the strategy behind starting a podcast for your business. At the end of the course, you will have a launched podcast set up to bring in new leads, nurture your listeners, and convert them into your offers.
Podcasting in Business FAQs
How Do I Start a Podcast for My Business?
When starting a podcast for your business, you first want to develop your podcast concept. A podcast concept creates a strong foundation and ensures your podcast supports your business goals. If you need help creating your podcast concept, download my FREE private podcast series that walks you through the 4 questions you need to answer to develop your podcast concept.
Once you have your podcast concept, you need to decide on your podcast name, order your microphone, plan your launch episodes, and decide on your recording, editing, and publishing platforms. There are many moving pieces when it comes to launching a podcast, which is why I created my podcast launch course, Podcast Like a Business Owner. It walks you through everything you need to do to launch your podcast from start to finish.
Is a Podcast Good for Getting Clients?
A podcast is a great way to connect with potential clients and convert them into your offers. Unlike other marketing platforms, a podcast shortens the buyer’s cycle by building trust much more quickly. Listeners get to know you on a deeper level, see your expertise through your content, and learn how you can support them with the very problems they want to solve.
How Much Will it Cost to Start a Podcast?
How much it costs to start a podcast depends on whether you DIY it or get support. Starting a podcast can cost you anywhere from $0 to $3000. If you want to start a podcast for free, you can start by recording your episodes on your phone, using Audacity to edit, and hosting on Spotify for Creators. The issue with going the free route is that these tools aren’t the best options when podcasting in business.
You need a podcast hosting platform with better metrics and tools geared towards business owners. Now, you can invest in paid tools and platforms and still DIY your podcast, but it can be overwhelming trying to figure everything out on your own. If you invest in Podcast Like a Business Owner to walk you through the launch process, a paid hosting platform like Captivate, and a microphone, you will spend about $625 (Captivate podcast hosting is $19/month. This estimate includes the total cost of paying $19/month for 1 year).
Which Podcast is Best for Beginners?
The Evergreen Marketing Era for Women Entrepreneurs is the podcast that is best for beginners. On this podcast, I share tips and strategies for coaches and service providers who want to start a podcast for their business or optimize their existing one to generate more leads and conversions. Each episode is valuable and actionable. I do not gatekeep, and I teach you how to easily implement the strategies I share. I recommend starting with these episodes: Episode 281, Episode 286, Episode 287, and Episode 292.
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