Creating a successful podcast doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. However, in addition to knowing what to do right, one also must know how to avoid doing things wrong. That said, the following is an overview of the most common mistakes to avoid when starting a podcast.
1) Topic Selection
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s somewhat shocking how many people start podcasts without clearly defining their topic. While they may have an idea of what they want to talk about, many waste countless hours and episodes bouncing around from topic to topic while trying to find one that strikes a chord with their audience. However, by choosing the topic and clearly specifying what will and won’t be discussed on the podcast, this will save not only time, but will also help the podcast gain a following that much quicker by remaining consistent.
2) Skipping the Call-to-Action
In addition, many hate to include things such as call-to-action because they hate to feel like they are selling people thing — or worse, trying to scam them. However, if there are relevant products offered by an individual or company, not advertising it is actually doing the listeners a disservice. Rather than including various commercial or product placements, simply include a call-to-action requesting that listeners either submit an email or visit a link in order to keep in touch and purchase products. This is the best way to not only build a fan base but also easily compile a list of customers for email marketing purposes.
3) Inferior Audio Equipment
Furthermore, given that the most crucial element of any podcast is the sound quality, using inferior audio equipment can be an immediate recipe for disaster. In this age, no matter how low or high budget the podcast may be, most have at least decent — if not superior — sound quality. When creating a podcast, this puts one in immediate competition with the millions of podcasts in existence. Having low-quality sound is an effective way to ensure that people tune out and never check back in.
4) Skipping Directory Submissions
Moreover, with the plethora of podcasts in existence, this has left room for the creation of a variety of podcast directories. One of the best ways of gaining new traffic for one’s podcast is to submit to various directories (which Backtracks can help with doing). A single directory or aggregator can earn hundreds or thousands of new listeners. However, by not submitting, there is no way for many of these people to find a variety of very popular podcasts.
5) Homemade Graphics
Lastly, as mentioned, no matter what level of podcasting one has reached, they are in competition with every other podcast in existence, from the moment they upload their first episode. This means the podcast could be mentioned on blogs, social media, listed in directories, etc. However, by not taking the time to have a professionally-made podcast related graphics, this may immediately repel one’s potential fan base. In other words, no matter how big one’s budget may be, their podcast series image (and related images) could appear directly next to any variety of reputable companies. By not taking the time to invest in a professional graphics, this could do much more harm than good in the long run.
Overall, no matter if one is just starting or if he or she is a podcast veteran, backtracks.fm offers a much-needed modern podcast platform with accurate and detailed podcast analytics to help take any podcast to the next level.
