5 Steps To Build An Engaging Podcast

By podcast | March 20, 2023

With so many podcasts out there, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd and keep listeners engaged. By now, you should know that creating an engaging podcast requires more than just recording your voice and hitting publish. It requires careful planning, preparation, and execution, to keep your audience interested and coming back for more. In this article, I’m giving you 5 steps to build and engaging podcast.

My 5 Steps

  1. Define Your Niche and Audience

  2. Develop A Content Plan

  3. Properly Promote Your Podcast To Create Discoverability and Engagement

  4. Interact With Your Audience

  5. Have A Unique Point of View

Defining Your Niche and Audience

Trying to appeal to a broad audience will get you nowhere. They key is to niche down and get real specific with who you want to speak to.

In my opinion, the best way to do this is to combine your life experience with something that you’re passionate about. For the sake of this article, let’s pretend you love collecting and flipping baseball cards. Furthermore, let’s also say that your 9-5 job is in finance. Combining these two topic could make for really cool show about the business side of baseball cards.

On the podcast, you could discuss rare cards that are worth a lot of money, how to buy and sell baseball cards on the secondary market, baseball card collections, the business of card shops, and more.

In this case, you’re speaking to an audience of people that are interested in monetizing their baseball card collections. It’s specific, and you’re speaking from a place of experience. Also, it’s likely that you’re going to be educating your listeners along the way. This has the makings of an engaging podcast.

You MUST Develop A Content Plan

Episodes are like slices of a pie, each one offering a unique flavor and texture that comes together to make a delicious whole. Some episodes are like the sweet filling in a dessert pie, full of entertaining stories and interesting guests. Other episodes are like the crust, the crunch that holds everything in place. The best podcasts have a balance of all these elements, creating a satisfying and complete listening experience.

Let’s use the baseball card example as a good podcast idea.

In this case, you could do some solo episodes where you talk about your journey into collecting and how you’ve been able to make money flipping cards. Then, you could record a few episodes with card shop owners and talk about the baseball card marketplace. Perhaps, you could pepper in stories about how people have gotten their hands on famous cards from baseball legends, like, Mickey Mantle, or Babe Ruth. In addition, you might think about dropping in news based episodes, or market data.

The list could go on. But, what I’m getting at is that you need to be strategic and structure different types of episodes around your shows main theme. Mix it up, get creative, and have fun.

As your show grows, you can begin to look at your analytics and see what type of episodes are performing best. Then, you start producing more of these types of episodes.

Promote For Discoverability

Promoting your podcast can be a wild ride full of excitement and creativity. The key is to make sure you are crafting engaging content that’ll keep your audience coming back for more. One way to do that is by turning your podcast video into short-form content that can be shared on all your favorite social media platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube shorts.

But, what if you don’t have a video podcast? Fear not, my friend. You should definitely consider starting one because those podcast clips you see everywhere are great for brand awareness and discoverability. They might not convert everyone into long-form listeners, but they’re fantastic for engagement, remixes, shares, and getting your name out there.

Need more ideas? Try transcribing your episodes and turning them into engaging blog posts, or pull quotes for Twitter. Don’t forget about show notes and making sure they’re front and center on your website. When you’re promoting on social media, make sure you use a universal link to your podcast, such as one from pod.link.

Equally important, is guesting on other podcasts in your some niche. To do this, create a one-sheet pitching why you’d be a great addition to their show. If done right this is huge for growing your own audience, because, you get your authority and message out to a brand new set of ears.

Feeling fancy? Try ad swaps. Ad swaps are when you record a promo for a likeminded podcast, and that podcast records a promo for you.

Finally, consider paid promotion options like Overcast, podnews, and Podcast Business Journal. If all else fails, attend industry events like Podcast Movement and build relationships with fellow podcasters.

Promoting your podcast can be a thrilling adventure, so hop on board and enjoy the ride!

How To Interact With Your Audience

Alrighty, so step four, let’s talk about interacting with your audience. This is a super important part of building an engaged community around your podcast or content. To do this, you can create private groups on platforms like Zoom, or Discord. Or, even through your email newsletter.

Speaking of which, make sure you’re collecting those email addresses and sending engaging emails. Don’t just blast them with your content, ask them questions, get them involved in conversations.

Offer resources, freebies, and websites that you think they’ll find useful. Get feedback.What are they liking about your show? What could be improved?

If someone takes the time to comment on your social media posts, respond to them ASAP. Ideally, you want to start rapport with listeners and potential listeners. It shows people that you’re a real human being.

Oh, and don’t wait for them to hit you up. If you see interesting content in your niche, like it, and leave a comment!

It’s also a good idea to use personal anecdotes in your podcast from time to time. Share stories about how you got started, or some of the struggles and setbacks you’ve faced along the way. People love hearing about the wins, but they also appreciate knowing that you’re human and have had your fair share of losses too.

If you haven’t thought about exclusive content, now’s the time. Offering exclusive content, is a great way to keep your audience engaged and build a sense of community. This could be something as simple as a weekly Q&A session, or even a paid subscription service like Patreon. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you’re engaging with your audience and showing them that you appreciate their support.

Remember, at the end of the day, your audience is the reason you’re doing what you’re doing. So, show them some love and get involved on a human-to-human level.

The Importance Of Having A Unique Point of View

You need to be known for something. Think about what makes you different, and what makes your podcast different. Listeners will be drawn to your special sauce.

Be yourself, and say what you want to say.

Are you the funny guy, or the contrarian? Maybe you’re the straight shooter? Find your lane and stay in it.

Obviously, don’t make one up. Your podcast should reflect who you are. Personally, I think it’s okay to voice your thoughts, whether they’re positive or negative.

Being too politically correct will just put you in the middle of the pack.

To stand out you need to be bold, and maybe even a bit edgy. Again, it shouldn’t be forced or faked. It should come out naturally as if you were talking to friends at a bar.

Doing this in a way that’s authentic is going to make people love your show. Of course, this means not everyone will like your show, but that’s ok. To succeed in podcasting you want to find your ride or die fans. To do this, you have to have a unique point of view.

The Wrap Up

Building an engaged podcast audience takes time, effort, and dedication. By following these 5 steps, you can create high-quality content that engages your audience, builds a loyal community of fans, and helps you achieve your podcasting goals.

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