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K - ABC of Podcasting

by Ryan Irelan

K is for THOUSANDS. How do I get thousands of listeners?

Yeah, so I’m stretching this alphabet motif a bit on this one. Thinking of something helpful to write about that started with “k” was proving difficult, so I settled on this.

A lot of new podcasters enter the arena with high hopes and aspirations. Great! There is nothing better than enthusiasm to help drive you toward your goal. Whether that be the goal of having 50 listeners, 500 listeners, 5 listeners or just the ability to publish a podcast on a regular basis.

So, really, how do you get thousands of listeners to your podcast? Well, if that’s really your goal - and it doesn’t have to be - then you’ll want to be sure to follow these guidelines:

1. Be consistent. Publish reguarly - weekly, daily, monthly. Just like your favorite TV show, your listeners will expect a new podcast at a regular interval. Decide ahead of time how you want this to work and then stick to it. I would err on the side of caution and commit to fewer podcasts than you think you actually want to do. Life will intervene and before you know it you’ll be days or weeks behind.

2. Tie your podcast to an existing website. If you have a website that already has hundreds or thousands of readers, then you can expect that your podcast will immediately get a fraction of those. Brand your podcast to match your website and leverage the website traffic to your advantage. Post about your podcast on your website and make subscribing to it simple and clear.

If you don’t have a website, well there’s a lot of fun to be had making something of nothing.

3. Be unique. Original and one-of-a-kind podcasts have a greater potential to accumulate a large audience than do, say, the ten thousandth podcast about “podsafe” music. Go to the podcasting directories and search around. Is your idea there in large numbers? You might want to come up with something else.

4. Work hard. This one will contradict number three just slightly. If you don’t have an original idea, one that’s never been done before, then just work harder and do it better than anyone else. Podcasting takes a lot time and getting it to sound good and flow takes even longer. Expect to spend 4x you show’s length preparing, recording and completing each podcast.

5. Make your presence known. No one is going to know about your podcast if you don’t tell anyone. List yourself in all of the directories, write about it on your website or blog, selectively send people emails letting them know about it (be careful not to spam people, please). Get the word out!

So, those are some tips to getting thousands of listeners. You know, a lot of it is probably luck, but podcasting requires a good deal of hard work too. These are basic principles, just starting points. Leave any other feedback or suggestions you have in the comments area.

This is part of the series ABC of Podcasting from Podcast Free America.

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If you liked this entry, you may also be interested in:

• Podcasting Holiday Gift Guide
• 10 Podcasting Movers and Shakers
• Keeping Track of Your Podcast Statistics
• How to Promote Your Podcast
• Niche Podcasting
• F - ABC of Podcasting
• Podcasting Manifesto: Creating Avenues of Access