Start a podcast and invite guests to interview

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Podcasts have become common in recent times. Research conducted by Spotify in the United States reported an increase in its podcast listenership by 175% in 2020 compared to 2019. It also revealed that about 90 million people listen to podcasts monthly. It is estimated that people who use Podcasts earn approximately $500-$900 per episode for every 10,000 downloads. Though not conclusive, such stats show that starting a podcast can be a worthy investment, especially if you are into working from home.

But, how do you start a Podcast? Here are the steps you should follow if you want to succeed at podcasting:

Starting a Podcast

  • Decide on the topic that you want to major in. It could be politics, product reviews, the story of the day, investigative stories, among many others. Or simpler topics such as motorized bikes or different types of flowers.
  • Give the concept a name, format, topic, as well as a target name.
  • Create an appropriate artwork that represents the brand of your podcast.
  • After performing thorough research, you will need to record your content. Ensure that you use a good microphone so that you are audible to your listeners.
  • Identify a platform on which you host the files that you generate. There are platforms such as Podbean and Libsyn that you can use to save accruing files.
  • Consolidate all your audio files into an RSS feed so that you can distribute them to your audience.
  • High-quality podcasts make really large files to deliver, and since you will be distributing files for a wide audience, you need to figure out how to send large files. In such cases, you can use easily downloadable solutions that need no special training to master.

Note that as much as it is okay to be the hero of the story in your own podcast, you need to invite guests once in a while to make it more interactive. Guests bring unique perspectives, a sense of diversity, to your podcast. That, in turn, helps you appeal to a wider audience.  Podcast guests can be found on platforms such as MatchMaker. This avenue resembles Tinder and will help you to easily connect with potential listeners.

Inviting Guests to Your Podcast

Before you bring guests for an interview, you will need to shortlist them so that you invite people who are interested in the kind of content that you create. You could also consult your listeners to find out who they may want to be brought for an interview on your podcast. Focus on guests who can help you make your listeners feel valued.

The process of selecting and inviting guests for an interview is simple and follows the steps below:

  1. Get the experts

The guests that you bring on your podcast must be experts on the topic that you wish to discuss with them during the episode. You should make a list of potential guests to assess their suitability. The trick is to choose guests who have an active social media presence and whose message resonates with your brand.

  1. Consult other podcasters

Supposing you are new to this industry, you could always ask other podcasters for recommendations. There are platforms online where you could connect with other podcasters. Additionally, you could also invite them for an interview in one of your episodes.

  1. Email them

You need to create a great pitch when you draft an email to invite a guest to your podcast. Remember that first impressions matter a lot. So, you need to write an effective email that is both concise and convincing. It also needs to be short that it interests the potential guest.

  1. Follow them on social media

If they take a long time to respond to your email, you should write a pitch to them on their social handles. While at it, you may want to follow them and like their posts to show that you are interested in having them appear on your podcast. Following potential guests on social media also allows you to familiarize yourself with their persona so that you know how to approach them.

  1. Invite them to the interview

When they give you an affirmative response, you can go ahead to invite them and record remotely. You should share the topic that you want to discuss with them beforehand so that they come adequately prepared. Ensure that you ask open-ended questions to keep the session interactive and give your guest a chance to express their views on the topic of interest. This approach will yield a robust interview which will increase the size of your audience.

Conclusion

Starting a podcast is not as difficult as most people think. You just need to identify the content that you wish to build your brand around and conduct thorough research before recording an episode. Additionally, you need to occasionally bring guests on board to talk about various aspects of the concept around your brand.

About the Author

Heidi Rosenberg
Heidi Rosenberg is an architect – and a writer for different websites. She is young and ambitious, with a degree in architecture. Her mission is to inspire others to live their dreams and create their perfect sweet home. She puts a big effort into working with her clients and tries to help them in the best way she can." The above post may contain sponsored content.