How to Build a Podcast Strategy That Wins: A Beginner's Guide
Ever thought about the real impact of your podcast, or perhaps rethinking your strategy to not just connect but really resonate and drive your business forward? You're in the perfect spot. In today’s episode, we’re diving deep into the essentials of crafting a podcast strategy that does more than just exist—it thrives, aligning seamlessly with your business goals and audience needs.
Join me as I walk you through the foundational steps of building a podcast strategy that reflects your unique voice and meets your business objectives. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your current podcast, this guide is packed with actionable insights that can transform your approach and help you create meaningful connections with your listeners.
Define Your Podcasting Goals
A successful podcast strategy begins with clear, actionable goals. What do you hope to achieve with your podcast? Are you looking to drive specific business outcomes, or are you more focused on building community and engagement? Setting goals that go beyond download numbers and focus on real business impacts can provide direction and motivation. Reflect on what you wish to achieve—whether it's increasing your membership sign-ups, enhancing brand awareness, or establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
Understand Your Audience
Knowing who you are speaking to is crucial. Your audience's preferences and needs should dictate the content you produce. Conduct surveys, engage in social media interactions, or even consider direct conversations through discovery calls or coffee chats to gain deeper insights into your audience. Understanding their pain points, preferences, and listening habits will help you tailor your content more effectively, making every episode resonate more deeply.
Content Is King
The heart of any podcast strategy is content. Quality content that engages, informs, or entertains is fundamental. Consider the structure of your episodes: will you include interviews, storytelling, or perhaps a series of tips? Remember, the quality of your content will determine the success of your podcast more than any other factor, including the technical quality of the recording.
Regular and Strategic Planning
Consistency is key in podcasting, but so is strategic planning. Develop a content calendar that aligns with your goals and audience insights. Quarterly planning can be particularly effective, allowing you to prepare content that is timely and relevant without becoming overwhelming. Tools like content management systems or even simple spreadsheets can help you keep track of topics, recording schedules, and publication dates.
Promote and Grow Your Podcast
Finally, creating the content is just the beginning. Promoting your podcast effectively is essential to grow your listener base and achieve your goals. Leverage social media, collaborate with other podcasters, or use your existing networks to spread the word. Consider how each episode can be repurposed into blog posts, social media snippets, or even YouTube videos to maximize your content's reach and impact.
Implementing these strategies will not only enhance the quality and reach of your podcast but also ensure it aligns with your business objectives, creating a loyal listener base and driving real results.
The Transcript for Podcast Your Business:
192: How to Build a Podcast Strategy That Wins: A Beginner's Guide
[00:00:00] Thinking about starting a podcast or redefining your current one to really make an impact. While you're in the perfect place today. We're in packing how to craft, how to actually create a podcast strategy that not only resonates with your audience, but also brings real business results.
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[00:01:00] Hey everyone, Caroline here.
[00:01:03] I hope you're having a wonderful week. I want to talk about a problem that I solved, that it doesn't really have to do with podcasting. So. I don't know if you are like me, but one of the things that I'm really bad about doing is subscribing for something. Setting up payment for something, trying out a tool, doing a trial and then forgetting all about it.
[00:01:27] Right. And I am on a mission right now to increase my revenue. And one of the things that I realized in this exercise of trying to increase revenue is that I could really, really decrease my expenses. So. What I have been doing is going through all of my expenses and slowly chipping away at what I actually need. And what I actually don't need.
[00:01:54] So we actually did an exercise like this in my membership, where we audited our tech stack. [00:02:00] So we looked at the tools we were using if they were actually helping us. So I said, this didn't have anything to do with podcasting, but here I am applying it to podcasting. And we went through them and we said, okay, are these actually helping me get my podcasts going?
[00:02:13] Or did I pay for something that I don't necessarily need? And it was actually such a great exercise because I think a lot of us realized that we probably had a couple tools in our tech stack that we didn't need. Or we maybe had multiple tools where we could. Condense that into one tool that is over here that could do that better for us. And this seems like a tedious process, but I have actually reduced my expenses by almost $400 by doing this. And, you know, and it's not like. This isn't like to shame or put false on anybody for paying for something that you don't need.
[00:02:52] I think even in my personal life, like we do this, you know, you'll sign up for that free trial of paramount plus, because you want to watch that one movie and then you [00:03:00] totally forget to cancel it. And next thing you know, you're paying for paramount plus for three months and you know, it, it happens.
[00:03:07] It happens, but I think also. Part of this is that shiny object syndrome, right? Where we see a new tool, we think, oh, that's going to help me do the thing. Right. That's what's going to be the game changer for me. And it may absolutely. Or it may just be an extra thing. That's creating more stress and taking more of your time. So I really want to encourage everyone today to do a tech stack audit.
[00:03:33] You will be so surprised at what you actually need, what you don't need. I'll give a couple of examples of some things that I've eliminated. So I was paying for a social media scheduler when. The fact is I was only actually scheduling once or twice a week because a lot of things I do directly in the Instagram app. And then I'll go into chat GBT and have it helped me repurpose for like threads and LinkedIn and all those other places. [00:04:00] And I realized thanks to one of my friends that I can do that in the like, What is it?
[00:04:06] The Metta business suite or whatever. Listen, I don't know much about this. So that was one thing I was able to get rid of really quickly. The other thing I got rid of was I actually had three podcast hosts. And so I switched, I'm switching to a new podcast, host. That can actually host all the things that I need. And that's going to save me some money and also get rid of extra places where I have to log in and out all the time.
[00:04:33] So. These are just a few examples of how you kind of condense and think about what do I actually need. , and you know, the thing is, is it all has to work for you too. And so. Also keep that in mind. But definitely, definitely. Take the time to review your tech stock and you never know how much savings you can find.
[00:04:53] And that is a problem that I solved this week.
[00:04:55] I am so excited to guide you through the essentials of [00:05:00] building a podcast strategy that works. In my last episode, we talked about why you need a podcast strategy and what it can do for your podcasts and your business. But today, I'm going to talk about the actual steps that you can take to start creating a blueprint.
[00:05:15] That's going to fit your unique voice and your business goals. So that's exactly where we're going to start at the heart of all of it, your goals. And if you have been in my world for any amount of time, you know that any time we talk about podcast strategy, This is what we talk about. This is where we start, because this is going to be the north star.
[00:05:40] This is going to be the thing that guides everything else you do. With your podcast, your marketing, your content. And so I asked the question, what do you hope to achieve with your podcasts? And I want you to think beyond numbers. You know, what kind of connections do you want to make? How [00:06:00] do you want to. Engage with your audience.
[00:06:04] What is your purpose as a business owner? You know, one of the things with goal setting for your podcast is a lot of times people will come to me and they have big download number of dreams. I mean, we all do. We all want those 10,000 downloads per episode. I mean, who doesn't. But at the end of the day, my goal is actually to get more people in my membership. And that changes how we approach the content and how we approach the strategy with the podcast. So I actually had this whole experience with a client. She had a really successful podcast. And when I say successful, I mean, downloads. And when she came to me, she was like, I have all these downloads. But I don't know that it's working.
[00:06:51] And I said, well, what is your goal for your podcast? Like, what is the thing you're hoping to achieve? Well, I want more people in my membership and [00:07:00] I said, why? Because I want to help more women do X, Y, and Z. And I said, exactly. That is the purpose of your podcast. And so how can we reframe the content? And the strategy behind the funnel and the marketing, so that all of that. Helps lead towards the goal. And we were able to do that.
[00:07:20] And now she is seeing real results from her podcast in actual people, joining her membership every time she releases an episode. So like, don't skip out on this step, you know, open up your Google doc for your podcast strategy. If you join the membership, you get a template for this. And say, number one, like what is my goal for the podcast and start really thinking about that. The second thing is that you really, really need to understand your audience and love your audience, right. When we release a podcast episode, we want it to feel like it's a heart to heart. [00:08:00] With our audience, like we've invited them into our office, into our wherever, and we're sitting down, we're having a chat.
[00:08:07] We're having a heart to heart. Right. And this is such a crucial part that a lot of people skip, they think, oh, I totally know my audience. I've got this. I know exactly who I'm talking to. But have you actually sat down and taken the time to really understand who is listening? And who you want to be listening to your podcast, right? So there's a couple of ways that we can do this.
[00:08:33] One of them is by doing a survey of your listeners. And if you're kind of at a starting point, like, let's say maybe you're at the beginning of your podcast journey. I would definitely lean into. You know, discovery calls and Instagram conversations and conversations that you're having. Another places. But definitely think about how can I get to know my listeners and [00:09:00] what they need better.
[00:09:01] One of my favorite ways of doing this is actually doing market research calls or coffee chats.
[00:09:07] So I've been doing these recently and they have been so, so insightful. And helpful. Because I'm actually getting to know. What people actually want from me, what they want to hear, what kind of support they want. Right.
[00:09:21] The important thing when you're asking for feedback on. You know, your offers and your content is that you take this feedback and you actually apply it. Okay. So, if you do a survey, if you do coffee chats, maybe you start a spreadsheet and you're just keeping track of what people are saying to you consistently. How are you going to use that?
[00:09:43] And so we have to actually apply it.
[00:09:45] And we can apply it by tweaking our content. Right. And what is so cool about using the actual words from your ideal audience and what they're struggling with, what they want is that this is going [00:10:00] to help increase your engagement pretty quickly, right? Because now we're actually in tune with what our audience wants and needs are.
[00:10:08] Right. This second. So in your Google doc on your strategy, under your goals, I want you to start brainstorming who your audience is, what their current pain points are, what they're struggling with. And if you don't know, I wanted you to come up with a plan for how you're going to engage with them and get this feedback.
[00:10:27] So you can use it to make informed decisions about your content and what their next steps are going to be . From the podcast, right.
[00:10:37] And now we get to talk about content. So content is. King, when it comes to podcasts. In fact, somebody asked me the other day, they said what's more important. Is it. The quality of the audio or the content. And I said, Content any day. Yes, the quality of the audio is so important, but if the content isn't [00:11:00] aligned, the expensive microphone, the padded room, all of those things, none of it's going to make a difference. We need the content to be engaging and inspiring for our audience. You know, I talk a lot about consistency. Consistency is definitely important.
[00:11:17] When we think about having a podcast strategy, having a podcast that's working for us. Having a content machine, that's going to be generating, you know, ideas for us and other places that consistency is so important. Side note, I actually took a couple of weeks off during the summer. From recording my podcast and I was like completely dry on content ideas for social media.
[00:11:44] I did not realize like how much I rely on my long form content now because I've literally created a system where I create my podcast. And then I use that to create content and other places. And it just really reminded me like, okay, I need to be consistent with my episodes, but also I need to come up with a plan. [00:12:00] For when I'm not publishing episodes, Which that's a whole other episode, but I just wanted to share that with you all, because I feel like it's important sometimes to hear. How everybody is doing everything. So consistency is poor and is important, but so is creativity. So how can you create a content calendar?
[00:12:17] That's going to have that structure, that spontaneity. That's going to ensure that your podcast stays fresh and exciting. So I'm going to go back to what we just talked about and talk about the feedback for our listeners. You need to constantly be in tune with what is going on with your audience and your listeners. And you don't have to always do a survey.
[00:12:39] You don't have to always be doing coffee chats. It's just, I call it being a detective sometimes. Like, it's just being curious, you know, what are people talking about? What's going on in your industry? What seems to be trending right now? You need to get curious on all of these things. And use them to create your [00:13:00] content. And also remember that like,
[00:13:05] Your people they're looking for help from you right now.
[00:13:10] So what help, what kind of help do they need for need for me right now? And how can I create episodes around that? The other thing that I have really been encouraging a lot of my clients and a lot of my members to do is think about the actual structure of your episode. What can you add? That's going to get people excited. Maybe it's an interview.
[00:13:31] Maybe it's. A little segment where you talk about some really quick tips that they can take away. How can I make my actual episodes more engaging and more exciting? And those two things combined are really going to help you keep the podcast fresh and exciting for your audience, but also for yourself. Because remember, like at the end of the day, when you sit down and record, you have to be super, super excited about what you're recording.
[00:13:59] [00:14:00] As you can tell, I am right now, because this is like one of my favorite things to talk about. Right. So in your Google doc of your strategy, I want you to start thinking about how can I plan my content ahead. So I'm not having to worry about coming up with fantastic ideas last minute. I highly highly recommend getting on the schedule of quarterly planning. Quarterly planning. Is the best I feel like, because then you're not overwhelmed with trying to plan out the whole year, but if you can get a solid quarter of content created. And at least a tentative schedule, it's going to help you so, so much. And lean into tools to help you brainstorm.
[00:14:41] I love using chat GPT to brainstorm. I'll use it to help me brainstorm topic ideas. I'll also use it to help me brainstorm. , The actual script or outline for my episodes. And just a little side note, like all of these tools are available inside my membership. We do quarterly content [00:15:00] planning and I literally built a GPT for my members that helps them plan out their episodes and script them.
[00:15:07] So, you know, there are definitely resources out there for you. You do not have to do this alone, but you want to make sure that you get into some kind of routine with planning out my content. Getting it outlined in scripted. Into whatever system you're using. So that way, when you sit down to record. You have options, you have multiple episodes and you're able to stay consistent because at the end of the day, If you are consistent, so will your audience be.
[00:15:37] And then the last thing we're going to talk about with having a podcast strategy that actually works is. It doesn't end when you hit publish on that episode. And this is a common misconception that I, I. Work with my clients on all the time. They think, well, if I just do the podcast, I publish the [00:16:00] episode. I'm going to be visible.
[00:16:01] I'm going to attract everybody. It's going to be great. Yes and no. Okay. Here's the thing. If you're creating amazing content, it deserves an audience, right. And so you want to have a plan with, how am I going to get the word out about my CA my podcast? And none of this needs to cost money. We do not need to be buying ads.
[00:16:23] We do not need to be doing any of that. The first thing I want you to do is think about how I can use this piece of long form content. Then I'm spending all this time and energy on. And repurpose it in other places. Making sure that I am constantly reminding people that I have a podcast. One of the things we just worked on in the membership is actually what happens after people opt in.
[00:16:47] Right. Are you telling them about your podcast after they opt in? Do you have an email sequence when you mention your podcast? Now, remember. Your podcast is supposed to be a nurturing piece of your marketing [00:17:00] plan. Right? This is the thing that really nurtures people really builds that know like, and trust. But if they don't know that it's there, how can they go listen to get that next level of warmth of fire?
[00:17:12] As I like to say, you know, they say warming your audience. I like to say lighting them on fire. Right. So making sure that you are telling people that you have a podcast, especially your current audience is so, so important. And then you can start to think beyond that. Okay. What is my strategy going to be for visibility?
[00:17:31] How am I going to get the word out about not just my podcast, but my business. And one of the best ways to do this is by being other on other podcasts. And again, none of this is breaking the bank, right? We're not, we're not investing a ton of money. You don't even have to hire somebody to help you do this. If it's not available to you, you can do this yourself. And.
[00:17:54] One of the things I really want to encourage you to is like, don't think of this as a chore. [00:18:00] Think of this as a part of selling and marketing, this is just one piece of everything that you have to do, right. We talk a lot in my membership about building this into your weekly schedule, you know, what are the tasks that are moving my podcast forward? Getting me in front of people. That is actually going to help move the needle forward. And. Allow my amazing message to be heard by more people.
[00:18:27] And how can I incorporate that? In 15, 30 minutes in my weekly schedule every week. And I think when you hear that and you realize, oh, I don't have to spend hours on this. It makes it feel so much more doable. And that's what we want. We want this to feel super doable. We want this to be easy. We want this to be a part. Of your marketing plan. So we're not like building out a whole other system it's already here and we're already using what we have.
[00:18:58] So in your Google [00:19:00] doc of your podcast strategy. Brainstorm. How am I going to spread the word about my podcast? How am I going to consistently spread the word about my podcast? Where are maybe some opportunities that I am missing. Where are some places that maybe I am not sharing enough? Or where I could be showing up more. And not in a way that adds to my plate, but feels really manageable, really doable and drives the right audience to my podcast.
[00:19:29] So, I just want you to remember, like building a successful podcast is a journey. You know, like SEO, this is a long term game plan. For building up your, your authority, building your brand. And really warming and connecting with your audience and every step that you take. Is a chance to learn and grow.
[00:19:50] That's. One of the things I love about podcasting is that it really helps you refine your message and grow as a marketer. So keep pushing the [00:20:00] boundaries, keep connecting with your audience. And most importantly, and I cannot emphasize this enough. Keep being you because that's why people keep coming back. To your podcast. If you want more personalized support, the strategize and shine membership is open.
[00:20:19] Now this is a community that I have created a monthly membership where. You come in, you got a warm hug. We work on your podcast strategy. You have constant support. So many tools and resources to help you do exactly what we've talked about in this episode. And create a podcast strategy that works for you. If you're interested, you can head to wild home podcasting.com/membership.
[00:20:43] And if you're listening and you're going, oh, that sounds like something I need, but I'm not quite sure. Send me an email. hello@wildhomepodcasting.com and let's schedule a time to chat and see what would be a good fit for you. If the membership is where you need to be. I cannot wait to hear your podcast.
[00:20:59] [00:21:00] I cannot wait to see your podcast growth. Keep sharing, keep making podcast magic and I'll be back next time with a new episode.
