32% of Americans listen to podcasts at least once a month, and that figure is changing rapidly. Podcast episodes are easy for people to search, access, and listen to.

Listeners can find most podcasts for free on different platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. With the podcast industry evolving, these platforms make it easier and easier for listeners to access your podcasts.

As a business, podcasts offer an easy barrier to entry, free marketing cost, and access to a wide audience for free.

The audio form of podcasts, today’s modern-day-radio, allows people to listen to your content as they go about their day, from doing daily chores, to travelling, or even exercising.

Are you interested in using podcasts to expand your business’s marketing reach? It’s relatively simple to start a podcast and reach a brand-new market.

What you need to start a podcast:

• Audio & sound equipment. Get a microphone and find a place to record your podcast. Record episodes in a sound-proof room or quiet area.
• Recording software. Choose how you are going to record and edit your podcast. Which software are you going to use to edit episodes?
• Podcast hosting software. After each podcast is recorded, edited and ready to go live, how will it be hosted and broadcast to your subscribers?
• Brainstorm content theme. What’s the overarching theme or concept that will guide your podcast episodes?
• People search for podcasts related to certain themes, topics or ideas.
  
  • What theme or idea does every podcast episode relate back to?
  • Will your episodes be conversational interviews, solo-shows, or tell a story?
• What types of content will you produce? Do you want your podcast to be helpful and informative, inspirational, practical, or conversational?

5. Set a publishing schedule. How often will you publish podcast episodes? You might also want to create podcast “seasons” where after you publish a certain number of episodes, your podcast takes a scheduled break.

6. Create a podcast marketing plan. After each episode is published, how will it be marketed? Use these ideas to promote episodes and help with content exposure, SEO and authority-building:

• Repurpose the clips from podcast episodes into Instagram reels, Twitter audio, or YouTube videos.
• Highlights, takeaways, and time stamps from your podcast can be typed into “shownotes” to be published on your blog or website for SEO purposes. You can also include links or resources mentioned on the podcast in your shownotes.
• Create graphic images of inspirational or informative quotations from the episode and circulate them on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.
• Interview other companies, businesses, or influencers in your industry and ask them to promote the episode when it’s live.
• Add keywords and search terms to your podcast titles and descriptions so that people can find your podcast when looking up a topic.

The podcast industry is growing rapidly, and it isn’t stopping. Platforms like Spotify are evolving with the industry, and now is the perfect time to start reaching a new audience with a podcast.

My first podcast Solo Talk was hosted on Blog Talk Radio, one of the only platforms available at that time. This was a live podcast every Friday at 12 Noon. I ended the program 9 years ago, but the audios are still available Here.

Here are some of my favs that provide wonderful value for solopreneurs.

Online Marketing Made Easy Amy Porterfield

StartUp – Gimlet Media Their first year was a great listen.

She Did It Her Way Amanda Boleyn

Marketing Over Coffee John Wall and Christopher Penn

All of these have a different format and listening can help you decide which direction you will or will not go with your podcast.

Overall, publishing podcasts builds brand awareness with listeners. By listening to your episodes, they learn more about you and your company over time. There are some things – like emotions – that are best conveyed with words!

Do you have an idea or plan to start your own podcast? Share in the comments.