You might have just launched an entertainment podcast or a “how to” podcast that teaches your audience how to master a certain skill, like online business. Either way, there are a few common mistakes that I’ve come into contact with both on my own podcast and from networking with other podcasters.
Before checking out some of the beginner mistakes below, leave a comment on this article and let me know what podcast you’re working to grow! Don’t forget to link to your own podcast!
1. Failing to have an accompanying blog/website
Whether you are getting most of your traffic from SoundCloud, Stitcher, or the iTunes marketplace, the only way to form a longterm relationship with your podcast listeners is to have your own website where they can connect with you, your email list, and your various social media profiles.
In addition, having your own website means that you can install google analytics and get in-depth information about your visitors including how long they spend on your website and what region of the planet they’re coming from.
I recommend setting up a wordpress-based blog and choosing a free premium-looking theme or purchasing one. Just be sure that the domain name for your podcast isn’t taken, or you might lose visitor traffic or listeners might get confused when they type the name of your podcast into google and some other website comes up.
2. Not capturing listener contact information.
You might find yourself trending in the “new and noteworthy” section on iTunes or see a surge of downloads from being a guest on another podcast, like we talked about in this article, but the only way to capture that momentum is if you capture the email or contact information of your listeners!
This goes back to point #1 – get a website! I’d then set up an email newsletter using Mailchimp or another software tool (like these) and create an opt-in form so that visitors can easily enter their email address to join your mailing list.
Once they’ve opted in to your mailing list or, if you are fancy, an auto-responder sequence, then you can send them emails about new podcast episodes, upcoming news, or products that you’ve created.
This way, you can capitalize on any traffic spikes that you might generate through social networks like Facebook or from doing marketing or PR outreach.
3. Ignoring the law of supply and demand.
Just as there is a supply and demand for hard goods in the real world, there is a supply and demand for information in podcasting marketplaces like iTunes or in the actual target market.
What do I mean by that? Well, the number of people interested in horror movies is likely smaller than the number of people interested in comedies or romantic comedies (making this up). That doesn’t mean that you can’t build an audience out of horror movie lovers, as they may be more enthusiastic than the latter movie-lover, but these numbers will dictate the size of your overall market and the potential size of your audience.
Picking a “niche” topic or subject will make it easier to connect with a core group of listeners, but it will also make it harder to grow a big show if your niche is too narrow. Think about how much supply is out there and the demand for both the type of content medium you will be producing (podcasts) and the quality/essence of the content.
4. Forgetting to humanize your show.
There is definitely a move towards polished and professional-grade podcasts, but don’t forget that even more than a great quality audio experience, listeners want to connect with real human beings who might have jokes, humorous banter, emotionally compelling monologues, or interesting stories.
It’s hard to put yourself out there. Believe me, I know and am still working on it. However, inviting people into your life, even if it’s just by sharing a small quirky fact about yourself like on the SmartPassiveIncome podcast or throughout the show like the Tim Ferriss podcast can be a great way to begin to form a relationship with your listeners.
5. Dismissing marketing and promotion.
Finally, no one is going to toot your own horn for you. You have to get out there and form relationships with influencers or shout news from the roof tops.
There is this bias towards a “build it and they will come” mentality among content creators, myself included, which is just wrong. Yes, we put so much time, energy, and effort into creating great podcast content, but just because we know it’s awesome doesn’t mean that other people do!
I think that as more and more podcasters get into the niche, many will be disappointed when they don’t see immediate results or when they find that they are trending one week in iTunes and forgotten about in the algorithm the next week.
You have to be willing to promote your own podcast content, whether that’s on other people’s podcasts, through social media, or on your website.
