WHAT’S THIS EPISODE ABOUT?
**If you want to grab the guide for “How to Start a Podcast”, be sure to go to grab the episode guide that walks you through the 7-Steps to Start a Podcast.
How to Launch a Podcast
I know it’s SUPER exciting to get your podcast out into the world as quickly as humanly possible…
But there is a process to the proper launch of your show.
You’ve heard that saying, “There’s a method to the madness,” right?
(Trust me, I made a few mistakes when I first launched my podcast. Actually 10. Well, probably more than that, but that’s all I cared to talk about. Otherwise, we’d be here for a REALLY long time. You can find the “10 Things I Wish I’d’ve Known Before I Launched My Podcast” in the free Resource Library here.)
Today I wanted to show you the steps that go into a proper podcast launch.
1. Announce Your Podcast Launch Date
There was this great interview through the Business Boutique with Christy Wright about launching! (By the way, I love sharing all of my resources. So anytime I stumble across great stuff, I got’choo!)
In this interview with Christy and Stu McLaren, they talked about launching. (Did your ears perk up? Pay attention, this is good!)
They talked about how you can launch a successful product, course, movie, etc. and there were SO many good takeaways. You can watch the video or listen to their podcast episode…but my #1 takeaway was, “The longer the time you have to build suspense, the better!”
CHALLENGE FOR YOUR PODCAST
I don’t know what specific stage you’re in of launching your podcast, or if you’re just in the stage of just THINKING about creating one for that matter, but I have a challenge for you.
***I want you to announce your podcast launch date!***
EEEEEEKKKKK!!!!
Did your chest just tense up?
Did you start shaking your head saying, “No Ma’am!”?
Did you pull one of those uncomfortable moves where you uncross and then recross your legs to think?
I get it.
It’s scary.
It’s hard to imagine this thing that isn’t even created yet being out into the world.
But I have to agree with some of the best advice I’ve ever been given!
Now, to be clear, this doesn’t mean just throw something out there. Or do a halfway job on anything!
It means “Perfection” doesn’t exist.
It’s a myth.
It’s an illusion.
If you wait until your podcast is 100% perfect to launch…my friend, you’ll be waiting an eternity!
Just know it’s totally normal to not feel ready to pick a podcast launch date.
But what about a website?
What about my social media?
I don’t have a Pinterest account set up!
I don’t have enough content planned.
My co-host can’t start for 6 more months.
What if my audience isn’t big enough?
Of course, you could come up with a million excuses to NOT pick a podcast launch date! Which is exactly why I’m encouraging you to do so.
It could be a month from now. 6 weeks. 6 months. Or even next year!
Just pick a date that works for you and stick with that commitment to yourself!
2. Setup Your Hosting Site
How do I get my podcast connected to iTunes?
Where do I upload my episodes each week?
Can I schedule my podcast episodes to air on certain days of the week?
These are all valid questions.
And they’re all related to your podcast hosting site.
What is a podcast hosting site?
This is where your podcast lives online. Think of it like your podcast’s home online.
You DON’T have to upload your podcast episodes to ALL of the platforms every single week. (Whew! I know. Huge sigh of relief when I found that out too!)
Thankfully, this is what your hosting site does for you.
It’s also where you schedule your podcast episodes, upload your podcast logo or cover art, track your statistics, upload your podcast description and show notes, and so much more!
What podcast hosting site Should You Use?
(Psst…this is an affiliate link and I’ll receive a commission if you decide to sign up for a paid plan. Just letting you know.)
Personally, I use BuzzSprout.com. If you’d like to give them a try for FREE for 90-days, click here.
Besides being free for the 1st 90-days (which is what initially drew me to them), they also offer amazing online resources!
They have a Blog with great tips and strategies to help you. An amazing Facebook community that is always answering questions. And their customer service is awesome!
If you’re wondering where to look for a great podcast hosting site, check out BuzzSprout.
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3. Descriptions & Show Notes
It’s taken me a while to really understand keywords, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), & all the nuances that go into having an online business. But I’m FINALLY starting to get it.
I mentioned in the Content Planning & Scheduling segment of “How to Start a Podcast” Episode 46” how important keywords are. And they’re becoming even more important as podcasts grow in popularity.
(I also heard some really exciting news that Google is working on indexing audio files to make them searchable and rankable, but stay tuned for more on that! That’s good news for you & I with podcasts!)
In addition to great keywords, you want to make sure that you have relevant words, terms, and phrases mentioned within the text of your podcast. Meaning your descriptions and show notes are super important so that the internet bots can crawl and recognize you as an authority in your field.
PODCAST DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
For example, if you had a podcast about business and life coaching, you’d want to use those words. But if your podcast descriptions and show notes mention parenting and motherhood…the bots will get confused and may categorize you like something that you’re not – a podcast about parenting and motherhood.
Here is what this looks like for The Proffitt Podcast in iTunes.
You can use whatever language and phrases you believe will resonate most with your audience. But be careful about the words you choose to describe your episodes in your copy online.
On the surface, it may not seem like a big deal.
But over time and the more episodes you start to build for your podcast, you’ll have wished you’d spent more time with your copywriting keywords.
One of my top regrets is not understanding keywords sooner!
Another reason why the descriptions & show notes play a big role right now is that we’re going to build onto this when we get to marketing your podcast. So don’t slack off when it comes to creating amazing descriptions for your show!
If you do the work now, you’ll be able to use that amazing copywriting again in the future.
4. Podcast Launch Plan
This is the part where the hard work really pays off!
I’ve been involved in many book & product launches in the last few years. (From organizations WAY bigger than mine! Including Rachel Cruze’s Book, “Love Your Life, Not Theirs”, Chris Hogan’s Book “Retire Inspired”, Christy Wright’s Book “Business Boutique”, Ruth Soukup’s Book “Do It Scared” & her “Living Well Planner”, and Jordan Dooley’s Book “Own Your Everyday”. )
And I gotta say, I’ve done lots of learning!
I’ve learned that the longer the timeframe to launch the better!
I’ve seen people create everything from:
- Online Launch Parties
- Live Events
- Book Signings
- Bonus Experiences
- Email Promo Sequences for Courses
- Live Videos
- Strategie Social Media Posts
- YouTube Videos
- Website pages
- Webinars
- And So Much More
There’s definitely not just one way to launch a podcast, but instead of going into detail about all of the possibilities that may or may not work for you, I created a PDF guide for you to create your own Basic Podcast Launch Plan.
In it, you’ll find a lot of suggestions for you to use.
But don’t feel like you must do everything on the list!
If you’re a soloprenuer and you don’t have anyone else helping you with all of this, I get it. It can be overwhelming to try to do ALL OF THE THINGS you really want to do. But I suggest you pick the things you know will have the biggest impact on your show and your audience.
Just remember, the longer the runway…the better the launch!
Grab Your Basic Podcast Launch Plan Here!
Episode Recap:
- Announce Your Podcast Launch Date
- Setup Your Hosting Site
- Descriptions & Show Notes
- Podcast Launch Plan
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
- “How to Start a Podcast” Guide
- “Pulling Off a Great Launch”, Christy Wright with Stu McLaren
- Business Boutique Podcast Ep. 71
- *Hosting Site: BuzzSprout.com
- BuzzSprout Facebook Community
- BuzzSprout Blog
- Free Resource Library
- Pinterest Board for Understanding Keywords
- Basic Podcast Launch Plan
*Affiliate Link