Podcasting 101: Mastering the Five Key Decisions for Success

Don’t Know Where to Start?

Embarking on your podcasting journey can seem daunting, especially if you’re not sure where to start. It’s not just about the technical aspects, like buying a microphone or choosing recording software. There are five crucial decisions you need to make before you hit that record button.

Decision One: Understand Your Why & Set Goals

The first step is to understand your ‘why’ and set goals for your podcast. Are you doing this to share a message? Do you want to establish yourself as an authority in your niche? Or maybe you want to make money from your podcast? Whatever your reason, having a clear purpose and goals will guide your podcasting journey and keep you motivated.

Decision Two: Choosing Your Podcast Topic, Title, & Tagline

Decision number two is you have to choose your podcast topic, your title, and your tagline because these are some of your biggest key decisions. Now, don’t worry because if you’re like,” Krystal, I don’t even know where to get started with that, or I want to change things.” I have so many resources for you that I actually grabbed before I started recording this because I was like, we’ve talked about so many of these things before.

So I have a podcast and YouTube video for how to research and pick a podcast name and title. I also have podcast topic ideas for planning content and then how to find your podcast niche and topic.

So don’t worry, we’re not going to get into the nitty-gritty of all of these things today because I have all the resources. We’ve already talked about them here before, so I’m just going to link you to all of those podcast episodes and all of those previous YouTube videos for you to go check them out.

PREVIOUS EPISODES:

1. How to Research and Pick a Podcast Name/Title: https://youtu.be/NGjUDEzproc
2. Podcast Topic Ideas, How Do You Plan Podcast Content?: https://youtu.be/RqGbfWlxm4M
3. How to Find Your Podcast Niche and Topic: https://youtu.be/Kal5G9btmvo

Decision Three: Deciding on Your Ideal Listener 

Next, you need to choose a podcast topic and identify your ideal listener. It’s crucial to pick an umbrella topic that you’re passionate about and one that will resonate with your target audience. Also, consider the categories for submissions to platforms like Apple Podcasts. Your podcast’s tagline is equally important. It should be catchy and hook your audience instantly.

Decision Four: How to Plan Your First 20 Episodes

Planning your podcast content is another critical decision. To prevent podcast burnout, plan your first twenty episodes ahead of time. You don’t need to come up with amazing ideas; just decent ones to keep your podcast going. For example, Brittany, a seasoned podcaster, managed to come up with a year’s worth of content in less than an hour!

Decision Five: The Critical Components of Formatting Podcast Episodes

Deciding on the critical components of formatting your podcast episodes is another essential decision. Are you going to do solo episodes or interviews? Will your episodes be live streams or pre-recorded content? Will you have an intro and outro? What about music? These decisions might seem overwhelming, but remember, there are no rules in podcasting. You have the freedom to experiment and change these components at any time.

Upcoming Free Training

Lastly, if you’re looking to reach that first thousand downloads, consider joining our live trainings on October 24th and 26th. We’ll discuss all the key decisions discussed in this episode and answer all your burning podcasting questions. Head over to krystalproffitt.com/1000-downloads to save your seat.

Remember, podcasting isn’t just about hitting record. It’s about creating content you love and connecting with your listeners. So, let’s get started on your podcasting journey!