Every podcaster makes a mistake at some point in their podcasting journey. Whether it’s an editing mishap or forgetting to give listeners a call to action, remember it’s not the end of the world. To help you get it right, here we outline seven common mistakes to avoid in podcasting and how you can overcome them with ease!
- Not knowing your audience
Not knowing your audience is a major mistake for any podcast creator. Listeners need to be segmented into a niche so that content, guest features and upload frequency can all be tailored accordingly. When the audience is known, creators can focus on niche topics which they know will fit the audience’s needs, as opposed to covering a broad range of topics that only some listeners will enjoy.
- Not following a plan
Being inconsistent with your podcast is a huge mistake and an important one to avoid. Establishing a detailed plan at the start of your podcast journey will ensure there’s always enough content, consistent uploads and a targeted niche around which topics can be tailored.
- Having poor sound quality
Most of us will stop listening to an audio if there’s something not quite right about the sound. Maybe it’s too loud, slightly unclear, or overpowered by background noise. Investing in a good quality microphone is essential and doesn’t have to break your budget. You won’t need a top-of-the-range microphone, but you’ll need one that works well enough to keep listeners from switching your podcast off before 5 minutes is up.
- Not including a call to action
A call to action should be included in all podcast episodes. Whether it’s directing listeners to your website, social media platforms, encouraging them to subscribe or to check out past episodes, it helps! Listeners sometimes need that extra push and it takes less than 30 seconds to provide them with just that, such as by directing them to subscribe to your show at the end of each episode.
- Not collaborating with guests
While your audience clearly likes listening to you, it gets repetitive if you don’t switch things up every so often. You can keep engagement levels high by collaborating with other podcast hosts or by bringing in featured guests. For instance, you may bring in a finance expert during the week you’re recording an episode about money saving. Or, you may record a joint episode with another podcast host who shares similar interests to you. This allows your podcast name to be shared on another creator’s social platforms, and commonly leads to an increase in downloads.
- Not letting listeners find you
Sometimes, the issue is not that your podcast isn’t good, but it’s that no one can find it! Ensure your podcast can be found on the main directories such as iTunes, Google Play Music and Stitcher. Your podcast also needs a catchy design, description and if possible, reviews! Encourage listeners to leave reviews about how much they loved your episode which are often used by listeners browsing for something new. This leads us to the next mistake to avoid…
- Dismissing promotion
Promoting your podcast is essential and should never be dismissed. Advertising on platforms which best align with your target listeners is a great step to take, as well as consistent advertising which increases around the time of an episode release. Reviews are also important, both on the directories as well as your relevant social media platforms.
Don’t fret! There are many resources available to help you overcome any initial teething issues. Remember that almost every mistake can be turned into a valuable learning lesson and your first podcasts are not going to be perfect, and nor are they expected to be!
Blogs, articles, website and journals that have been referenced when researching and writing this blog:
- https://www.podcast.co/inspire/podcasting-mistakes
- https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/starting-a-podcast-avoid-these-7-common-mistakes.html
- https://www.bam.com.au/blog/podcast/4-podcasting-mistakes-to-avoid/
- https://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/10-podcasting-mistakes.html
- http://www.podcastinghacks.com/beginner-podcasting-mistakes-to-avoid/
