The growing popularity of podcasts is continuing to skyrocket. Check out these 5 tips for creating a podcast of your very own!

Podcasts are a great entertainment format for a number of reasons. Firstly, they enable multitasking. Listeners can drive, cook, workout or anything else that takes their fancy whilst listening to their favourite podcast. Secondly, they are a fun and easy way to keep up with news, current events but also learn about niche topics. And thirdly, they are just entertaining. Of course, there are serious podcasts out there. But listening to one can keep your mind engaged and switched on, rather than just tuning out to the radio or your regular playlist. In a time when so many people are now working from home, podcasts can also provide some comfort and familiarity. If you’re missing the buzz of the office and listening to the chatter of colleagues, podcasts nicely go some way to filling that hole.

If you’re thinking about creating a podcast, take a look at these podcast classes on Skillshare. Whether you’re new to the game or you already have a podcast, we’ve gathered together five tips for creating an exciting podcast.

Less is More

You might have tonnes of cool information to share with your audience, but try not to overload them with it. People tend to switch off when faced with a giant information dump. Tease your audience with interesting nuggets of information, and break it up with fun anecdotes, stories or jokes. Humans find it easier to remember facts when they’re woven into stories, rather than having stats fired at them in quick succession. An exciting podcast will keep listeners intrigued and wanting more, so string out your wisdom and knowledge across the whole episode.

Be Yourself

Authenticity is a biggie when creating a podcast. There’s no use trying to imitate your favourite podcaster – they already exist! Taking inspiration is brilliant for coming up with ideas, noting what works and what doesn’t, and informing your decisions. But ultimately, you’re going to be the best person at being yourself, and this will translate to your audience. Audience members won’t want to feel like they are listening to someone who is putting on a facade. This can quickly become tiring and will cause people to look elsewhere. So embrace your unique personality, because that is one of your biggest selling points!

Know Your Audience

We’ve talked a lot about what to do to please your audience. But, if you are unsure of who your audience is it’s going to be difficult to know what to do for the best. Podcasts, unlike radio shows, can appeal to a more niche audience, as there’s no worry about limited airtime or station reputation. Think about your podcast’s central idea and what people interested in this might be looking for. Which demographic/s are likely to tune in, what questions are they looking to have answered, what unifies them? Once you’ve figured this out, a lot of your content will begin to write itself.

Stay Focussed

You may have started to notice that a lot of these points inform one another. Sticking with this theme, knowing your audience is going to be tricky if you haven’t decided on a central idea. What if you’ve got loads of awesome ideas to cram into your podcast? Create multiple podcasts! Fusion is great, but if you try making a podcast about cooking, with a football feature, that also looks at fashion trends and historical wonders, people are going to get confused fast. Exciting podcasts have a clear focus that contain features built around this. If you make a promise with your podcasts title and description, you need to be sure to fulfil this with each episode.

Guests are Best

Some podcasts are built around having guests on board. Grounded by Louis Theroux sees Louis discuss the lives of his guests, in that fantastically concise and in-depth way he’s so skilled in. Other podcasts feature guests in order to provide further insight and knowledge regarding the central idea. Sara Pascoe’s Sex, Power, Money, for instance, invites guests to assist Sara and the listener’s journey in learning more about the hidden world of the sex worker industry in the UK. Guests are integral for shaking up a podcast and creating excitement. Even if your podcast idea isn’t based on having guests each episode, inviting another voice into the mix can create variety and pull in audience members you may not have already had.

Pretty much all podcasts have an introduction. And what makes a great introduction, besides top-notch chat? Great music! If you need music for your podcast, sign up to Synchedin today and get access to a huge variety of royalty free music for use on all kinds of projects.