Podcasting has been creating a great impact on the Internet in the past decade. It is only right that you make the most out of this golden opportunity by setting forth to try it out for yourself.
Although the WordPress core provides support for podcasting, getting started on the right path isn’t always a walk in the park. In this article, we will run you through a quick podcast guide to creating a podcast with WordPress. But before that, we’ll briefly explain the reasons for people starting podcasts.
What is a Podcast?
A podcast is a series of episodic audio (mp3) files that you can download & listen to. So it is pretty much similar to a talk show but you can listen to your favorite podcasts on demand.
Many people start creating podcasts for the following reasons:
- As a method to share in-depth knowledge they have on a certain subject.
- To use it as a source of an inbound marketing channel for their company or business.
- To build up their personal brand.
- Or simply to entertain people.
9 Easy Steps to Start a Podcast with WordPress
By default, WordPress allows you to promote your podcast and at the same time, enable your target audience to find new episodes. Additionally, it integrates with the media hosting service called Blubrry, which makes managing your podcast extremely easy.
The following nine steps will show you how to start your podcast with WordPress in detail!
Step 1: Create a Plan for Your Podcast Episodes
Without appropriate planning, you could end up in a strange situation with your podcast. You do not want to create and publish your first couple of podcast episodes, only to realize you are out of ideas for your podcast content. Likewise, in case you really want to successfully monetize your first podcast, having the right strategy is key.
To begin with, it’s essential to find a certain topic or niche your content podcast will fit into. This makes it easier to grow your audience & will keep them engaged by providing them content they will find relevant & interesting. The bigger your target audience is, the more effortless it will be to get advertising deals.
It is also useful for listeners if you have a regular content posting schedule, so they will get the idea of when to expect new episodes from you. By posting consistent content, you will have a much better chance of maintaining & growing your pool of listeners.
Moreover, it’s crucial to take some time to gather your content resources. While it is tempting to jump right into your first episode & worry about the rest of the content later, that could cause some serious issues later on. You don’t actually want to be in the middle of a video recording & realize you don’t have enough sources or material required for the episode.
Step 3: Host Your Podcast Episode With a Media Hosting Service
While your site is extremely critical to the success of your new podcast, it won’t do good work of hosting your content or audio files. This clearly means you will need to look into some kinds of podcast hosting services (Blubrry) that can actually store your media files.
Also, you need to include a media player on your site, so your listeners can listen to your episodes directly from your website. Since the media player is “white-labeled,” so you don’t need to worry about the third-party branding on your website. You can also customize the player to blend with your web design.
Step 4: Get the Right Podcasting Equipment
With everything ready to store the podcast files, now it’s time for you to actually create the content. First, you will need the right set of tools to do this. Creating or starting a podcast involves both recording & editing audios, so you will want appropriate equipment that can handle well both of these tasks.
Using the right set of equipment ensures the high-quality audio for your podcast show, which in turn impacts how audiences perceive your newly created podcast. If there is too much background music or noise or it’s tough to understand what you are saying, you will then have a difficult time.
Step 5: Prep and Record Your First Podcast
You are probably itching and would be excited to record your first podcast episode by now. Before you do so, however, you will need to consider putting in some proper prep work. Creating a set of outlines or even a full-fledged script for your episodes helps you save time, by making sure that you have enough content available for the full episode.
If you are going to do an interview or a panel in your podcast episode, preparing good questions for guests keeps you motivated and focused & is courteous to the individuals you are working with. You do not want to waste others’ time since you don’t know what topic to talk about at your own interview.
Once your interview preparations are fully complete, you can now finally sit down to record. To make sure you have a good sound quality, record in a small room & maintain a proper distance from your microphone.
Step 6: Publish Your Podcast Content on WordPress
The Blubrry PowerPress plugin simplifies your podcasts publishing process your podcast episode on your site simple by enabling you to upload your podcast episode to its hosting platform via your WordPress website.
Once activating the plugin, simply configure the settings by filling in the required fields. You can also integrate this podcasting plugin with your Blubrry Media Hosting Account to speed up and streamline the rest of the procedure.
To publish the first episode, go to the Posts section in the WordPress dashboard and select Add New. Enter the episode’s title & any notes on the podcast episode into the editor, then scroll down to the area labeled Podcast Episode.
Here, you can simply drag and drop to upload your podcast episode to your website. Just click on the folder icon next to the media link field, and choose the desired podcast file.
Step 7: Submit Your Podcast Episodes to Podcast Directories
While featuring your podcast episode on your WordPress site is crucial, it is also useful to tap into the pre-existing listeners on a podcast player, like iTunes or Stitcher. These directories are where many of your audience look for new famous podcasts and help you expand your audience. As a result, you can gain more subscribers.
To submit your podcast to iTunes, you will need an Apple ID. Simply log in or create one, then go to the Podcasts section and click on the Submit a Podcast link.
Step 8: Promote Your Podcast Content to Gain Followers
Now that your podcast episode is up and running, you are now ready to start promoting your podcast to gain subscribers & grow your audience. While you will gain some followers organically through podcast directories, it’s hard for a podcast show to take off without a proper marketing strategy. Posting about your podcast episode on social media can make it easier to spark people’s interest.
Step 9: Monetize Your Podcast
Once your podcast episode is off the ground and really has started to gain some sort of interaction, you can then start thinking about monetizing it. There are different options available when it comes to making revenue from your podcast episodes, and you can implement any or all the ways to turn your podcast into a real business.
Since you make a living via podcast, it’s necessary to protect these intellectual works. Prevent Direct Access Gold plugin should be your ideal solution to prevent folks from downloading podcasts in a private community and steal your ideas. The plugin allows you to secure podcast audios by creating protected links. Any access to the file original URLs will be led to a 404page.
Final Thoughts
Starting a new podcast episode can be both exciting and extremely stressful. Fortunately, using WordPress CMS to publish your podcast episodes can help smooth out the procedure of launching your new podcast show.
With the help of the right set of equipment, you will be ready to take your online business to new heights. If you have any questions related to podcasts, then you can ask us in the comment section below. We would love to help you!
