So you want to start a Podcast ? (Deciding on your podcast concept)

Deciding on your Podcast Concept

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Step 1: 
 
Coming up with your podcast concept/idea 
 
If you are here, it is highly likely that you already have an idea in mind, if you do you can skip to step 2, if not don’t worry! The following will walk you through the process of coming up with your idea. 
 
Focusing in on your personal passions is a great starting point when thinking about what you want your podcast to be about. 
 

1. Write down your main hobbies/interests and narrow them down to the 3 that you are most passionate about 

2. Then consider the following questions: Who would listen to each podcast, what area of that hobby/interest you would focus on and why would they choose to listen to your podcast (what makes it different to your competitors. 

3. At this point if one of your ideas stands out then proceed to the next step if not, never fear just go back to the first step and expand your search to cover more of your interests/hobbies. 

Step 2: 

Check if there is an audience for your podcast 
 
1.) It is important to consider what the value proposition is for your podcast i.e, what a listener would expect to gain from listening to your podcast.  

2.) Based on your value proposition you should be able to put your podcast into a category such as education, entertainment etc. 
 

3.) At this stage I would listen to competing podcasts and see if they have an existing audience. If there aren’t established podcasts on your topic don’t let that put you off, your podcast could be the first to capture a specific niche. If this is the case, you should look up your topic to on online forums and social media sites to ensure that your topic has a large enough potential audience. 

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Step 3:  

Imagine your listener and create a customer persona. 

1. Imagine your ideal listener, what are their interests, what demographic do they fall into and what is their background.  

2. You should then fit your podcast around them, if you find yourself making key decisions about your content, format etc. think back to your ideal listener and ask yourself what they would want. 

Step 4: 

Consider how you will make your podcast stand out against your competitors and outline your Unique Selling Point (USP) 
 

1. look up podcasts that compete directly with your idea and listen to the top handful of competitors. Take some time to think about what makes them unique and why their listeners choose to listen to them over their competitors, it may well be due to one of the following: 

• Different format from competitors, short episodes, long epics? 

• Excellent hosts 

• Higher production value than competitors? 

• Snappy and faster-paced than competitors. 

Keeping this in mind you should write a shortlist for your potential unique selling points. 
 
2.) Take your shortlist and narrow it down to your favourite one based on the following criteria: 

• What USP most excites you, if you are engaged an excited by what you are producing you will make a more engaging podcast as someone sharing their passion is infectious. 

• What USP will make your podcast stand out the most? 

• What USP best fills a gap in the existing podcasts on offer on your particular topic. 

 

Step 5: 
 
Decide on a name for your podcast and create branding for it. 

1. Create a shortlist of names for your podcast, checking as you go to avoid any existing Names 

2. Take your shortlist and ask a few close friends and family for their opinion  

3. Pick your final name making sure to double-check that it isn’t already taken including checking if the web domain is available. 

4. Create some basic branding for your business including a logo that can be used as cover art for your podcast channel. 
    
   Tip: Try not to get caught up in this stage remember, content is king and therefore that should be your primary focus. 
    
   Try to keep your name short and memorable if you are struggling there is an excellent TED talk by Johnathan Bell on how to create a great brand name link below: 

 
Thank you for taking the time to read the first Podcasting Step by Step Blog post, Keep an eye out for the next blog post on getting the equipment necessary to record your own podcast!