Thinking about starting a podcast? Wonderful!
The world needs to hear what you have to share.
But getting started can be overwhelming and stressful. Trust me. I have a notebook full of podcast name ideas and STILL question my choice of name “Copy That Pops“…but hey, at a certain point you just have to start! 🙂
To help you plan ahead and see what is coming for submitting to iTunes and other audio sharing platforms (like Stitcher, SoundCloud, and iHeartRadio), here is a list of 15 things you need to decide on before your podcast is ready to hit the waves of iTunes and others!
- Audience
- Your ideal listener (sometimes called “avatar”)
- Show Topic
- Show Name
- Show Subtitle
- Show Description
- iTunes Category
- Show Format
- Show Tone
- Keywords / Tags
- Episode Goals
- Episode Publishing Frequency
- Music
- Intro & Outro
- Artwork (podcast icon)
Okay, let’s break each of these down in more detail with some examples.
Podcast Items Broken Down and Explained
| THINGS TO DECIDE | What is it? | |
| 1 | Audience | Who do you want to talk to? Who will be attracted to what you are sharing? |
| 2 | Your 1 Ideal Listener (Your “Avatar”) | What ONE person are you speaking to when you talk? What does this ONE ideal listener want to get from each episode? Keep him/her in mind with all your decisions. |
| 3 | Show Topic | Boil the topics you are going to cover to 3 or less. Get focused. Niche down. |
| 4 | Show Name | What’s the name of your show? (This can be hard if you want to also get the www.MyShowName.com URL. Brainstorm and keep your target audience in mind.) |
| 5 | Show Subtitle | Think “keywords” here and drop in some key ones to help your being found via search. |
| 6 | Show Description | Again, think about keywords but also make it flow for someone reading all the way through. Try to make it enticing to get someone to think, “Hmm, I think I’ll take a listen.”12/22/17 UPDATE: According to Rob Walch of Libsyn, show descriptions do NOT impact search in iTunes. So write it to convince people to click and listen! |
| 7 | iTunes Category | This is where your show will show up (and compete with) other shows in the same genre. Some are highly competitive and others less so. |
| 8 | Show Format | (interviews, solos, co-hosted, mix) |
| 9 | Show Tone | What’s the vibe? The best advice is to pick something you can keep up for the long haul. A.k.a. keep it authentic to who you are while also recognizing your audience and goals of the show. (professional, news-like, fun, relaxed) |
| 10 | Keywords / Tags | This is required if you host with Libsyn, but even if it’s not required for your host, it’s important to brainstorm the topics you are going after to rank it when people search. |
| 11 | Episode Goals | Have goals in mind before you hit record. (entertaining, teach tactics, engage audience, etc.) |
| 12 | Episode Publishing Frequency | (daily, weekly, monthly) No matter how often you publish, you should be consistent and deliver on what you say you will. The more frequently you publish, the more downloads you will get compared to less frequently if you look just on downloads from people subscribed. But if you publish frequently, will you have time to promote each one? And keep up the pace? |
| 13 | Music | Pick something that matches your topic, tone, and genre. Also consider how it sounds with the intro/outro overlaid on it. |
| 14 | Intro & Outro | (script & voice recording) Keep it concise and punchy. Pull the listener in…and sign off with a call to action to engage with you further. |
| 15 | Artwork | (podcast icon) Needs to be 1400x1400px to 3000x3000px but optimize for 150x150px viewing. People will see the tiny version on their phones so lots of text and small fonts will not look good. |
| BONUS | Hosting Platform | It was brought to my attention from Elsie Escobar of She Podcasts that all hosting platforms are not alike and it’s worth doing some homework before committing. |
Okay, now that you have a better idea what each of the 15 items are for publishing your podcast to iTunes, let’s look at two shows as examples so you can see what it looks like in podcast practice. Both podcasts were launched in 2016.
Podcast Example 1:
We’ll use my show Copy That Pops since I know it the best.
| THINGS TO DECIDE | Example 1 | |
| 1 | Audience | 25-40 year old entrepreneurs, mostly female, passion for remote working (current or aspiring-to-be digital nomads), love online business and digital marketing |
| 2 | Your 1 Ideal Listener (Your “Avatar”) | – Meghan is in her early 30’s and she is married but no kids yet. – She is an entrepreneur and has been working on her business for a few years, but it isn’t as far along as she wants yet. – She is a current or aspiring digital nomad (who can work anywhere with wifi). – She is still actively looking for tools, tips, and tactics to get an edge and hit her goals. – She loves networking and enjoys listening to some personal information from the host and guests as long as they also cover things she can start using right away. – Meghan thinks psychology is fascinating and doesn’t think she is a terrific writer but realizes its importance for online success in business. |
| 3 | Show Topic | Psychology, Copywriting, Online Entrepreneurship |
| 4 | Show Name | Copy That Pops |
| 5 | Show Subtitle | The Psychology Behind Effective Copy Writing | Landing Pages | Increased Sales | Digital Marketing | Online Business Success |
| 6 | Show Description | Join us to learn tips, tools, and tactics to improve your copy, branding, and messaging for improved connection to your audience, opt-in rates, sales, and profits. Leverage psychology, word choice, and tools to convert leads into customers by ‘speaking’ to them in the right way with all your digital marketing efforts. Host: Laura Petersen — Psychology Instructor, Digital Nomad, Word Nerd, and Serial Entrepreneur. Format: Mix of fun and informative interviews with other entrepreneurs and quick copy tips for immediate application. Laura is a teacher by trade and at heart. She is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs (especially the ladies #girlpower) get more out of their businesses so they can design the life of their dreams and maybe join her for a cup of coffee wherever in the world she may be with laptop in hand. Tune in to learn, be inspired, and join the conversation! |
| 7 | iTunes Category | Business > Careers |
| 8 | Show Format | Mix of interviews (about 30 minutes) and quick tips (about 5 minutes) |
| 9 | Show Tone | relaxed, fun but focused learning 🙂 |
| 10 | Keywords / Tags | copywriting, copy, writing, branding, messaging, email list, landing pages, list building, online business, psychology, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, digital nomad, online entrepreneur |
| 11 | Episode Goals | Entertain (get stories out of guests for the audience to connect with and get to know them) and provide tactics, tools, and tips to use right away. |
| 12 | Episode Publishing Frequency | 1-2 / week |
| 13 | Music | Carolina Sun by Tom Camp |
| 14 | Intro & Outro | Recorded by my partner at Podtent, Dominick Sirianni, because he has an amazing voice and I wanted a male voice to offset mine. |
| 15 | Artwork |  Designed by my podcast producer who is also a graphic designer. (I wanted the colors to really pop and decided not to put a photo of myself on there.) |
| BONUS | Hosting Platform | Libsyn |
| See show on iTunes: | bit.ly/CopyThatPops | |
Podcast Example 2:
Next let’s look at Tiny Leaps, Big Changes which is doing incredibly.
| THINGS TO DECIDE | Example 2 | |
| 1 | Audience | 23-35 year old 9-5er who has always wanted to make a change in their life but hasn’t been able to make those changes permanent. |
| 2 | Your 1 Ideal Listener (Your “Avatar”) | “I never made one. I wanted to just base it on who showed up so in the first month I got on the phone with listeners often so that I could get a handle on who they were.” Gregg Clunis |
| 3 | Show Topic | Psychology, Neuroscience, Personal Development |
| 4 | Show Name | Tiny Leaps, Big Changes |
| 5 | Show Subtitle | Simple, research-backed strategies to get more out of life. |
| 6 | Show Description | All big changes come from the tiny leaps we make every day. On this show I’ll share personal development and self help strategies you can use as well as the habits you can develop to get the most out of your life. Everything I share with you will be backed by research in various fields of science and I’ll end each episode with a specific challenge to help you integrate that strategy into your life. This is the show for you if you are interested in personal development, personal growth, self help, self development, motivation, or inspiration. You should listen to this show if: – You regularly listen to speakers like Jim Rohn or Tony Robbins. – You read books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Compound Effect, The Four Hour Work Week. – You love authors like Ryan Holiday, Tim Ferriss, Tony Robbins, or Gary Vaynerchuk. – You are looking for a way to get more out of life but are sick of all the nonsense that lifestyle design, personal development, and self help have to offer. |
| 7 | iTunes Category | Health > Self-Help |
| 8 | Show Format | 10-15 minute solo presentations. |
| 9 | Show Tone | Presentational |
| 10 | Keywords / Tags | (not required in Awesound hosting) |
| 11 | Episode Goals | Entertainment. Inspire other to do their own research and build their own processes. |
| 12 | Episode Publishing Frequency | 5-7 per week |
| 13 | Music | Various |
| 14 | Intro & Outro | Self |
| 15 | Artwork | Self-designed |
| BONUS | Hosting Platform | Awesound |
| See show on iTunes: | bit.ly/TinyLeaps | |
Okay, now it’s your turn to figure out your important items for your podcast and get it live on iTunes and the other growing platforms!