How to Start a Podcast to Promote Your Online Course or Coaching Business

While you may not have heard about podcasts up until a few years ago, today they are all the rage.

There are more than 2 million podcasts out there and studies show that 41% of the US population listens to podcasts on a monthly basis.

In the remote chance that you don't know what a podcast is, here is the definition:

Podcasts are audio programs that involve creators releasing regular audio content that listeners can subscribe to on their smartphones or other devices and listen to it whenever they like.

Starting a podcast has many benefits, so keep reading below to find out why you should start a podcast to promote your online business and how to do it in 3 simple steps!

Why Should You Start a Podcast?

The number one reason why podcasts are getting so popular is because of their accessibility.

Anyone can listen to podcasts no matter where they are in the world or what they are doing. You can listen to your favorite podcast while driving, cooking, taking a shower and so on.

Thanks to podcast apps such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify, these pieces of audio content have become extremely versatile. Listening to a podcast is as easy as listening to music, plus you are always learning something new, and unlike a traditional radio show, you can listen on your own schedule!

Podcasts don't just benefit the listeners, but the creators as well. Starting your own podcast might be what you need to grow your business, reach a new audience, increase your website traffic and gain new leads.

Since they are so accessible, you might be able to reach a whole different audience that you were not able to capture with other forms of content marketing such as recording YouTube videos or writing blog posts, or sharing on social media.

Another fantastic benefit of podcasts is showing off your expertise. Podcasts are not only growing in popularity, but they are also incredibly engaging. Studies show that 80% of the people who listen to podcasts on a regular basis tend to stick around until the end of most episodes.

This means that you have enough room to show your expertise in your topic and make sure listeners recognize you as an expert in your niche. When your audience can see that you are knowledgeable about your chosen topic, they'll want to learn more from you and potentially enroll in your paid online course or hire your services.

By listening to you over and over again, your podcast fan base will also learn to trust you and become comfortable with your teaching style. So all in all podcasts are a fantastic way to promote an online business and grow a loyal audience at the same time.

How to Start a Podcast - 3 Easy Steps!

Now that you know what a podcast is and why you should create one, let's see how you can actually do it. Keep reading below to learn our step-by-step process to start your own podcast today.

Step #1: Choose Your Podcast Topic

The first step when it comes to planning your upcoming podcast is to pick a main topic or theme. This doesn't have to be extremely detailed or niched now, as you can choose smaller subtopics for every podcast episode you record.

However, it is important to understand what your primary topic is going to be and finalize the general direction of your podcast.

If you are already running an online business, maybe you sell online courses or coaching programs or offer any kind of services, and your goal with the podcast is to promote your actual business - then our advice is to talk about the same topic of your main business.

This will help you attract listeners who are interested in your services and can become potential leads for your business.

Step #2: Choose Your Podcast Format

Once you have figured out the topic of your podcast is time to think about the format and style of your episodes.

There are many different styles you can choose from, and you don't necessarily have to stick with one in particular. However, remember that consistency across your episodes will help you retain your loyal customers and keep up quality standards.

Here is a list of some of the most common podcast formats you can choose from (or mix up together!):

• Monologue Podcasts: a single host speaks for the entirety of each episode about a specific topic.
• Interview Podcasts: a single host interviews guest coming to the show.
• Conversational Podcasts: two podcast hosts have a friendly talk around a specific topic, or answer questions from the audience.
• Roundtable Podcasts: a consistent or rotating group of 2+ hosts converse about a specific topic.
• Educational / Repurposed Content Podcasts: scripted talk about an educational, informative topic sometimes taken from a different content format (blog post, book, video...)
• Fiction / Storytelling Podcasts: entertainment podcasts where host/s tell a fictional story, narrate a book...

Step #3: Start Recording Your Podcast

Now that you have a clear idea of your podcast topic and format, it's time to start recording your first episode!

What kind of equipment and software do you need to get started?

While you can record a podcast from your smartphone, for better sound quality many creators choose to purchase a microphone. Check out this collection of our suggested video and audio recording equipment:

Another thing you should consider is what kind of editing software you might need once you are done recording a podcast episode. Software like Audacity, Descript.com, Riverside and Streamyard are popular choices for audio editing and podcast creation.

While you are editing your episodes, remember to add a unique intro speech and potentially a short music piece at the beginning of each episode, to make your podcast memorable and recognizable to your listeners.

How we Created our Podcast Show FAQs: a Real-Life Example

Last year at Heights Platform we decided to start our own podcast interview show, called The Creator's Adventure.

The goal of the show is to interview different creators from all industries and share their stories on how they started their businesses and were able to monetize their passions in a creative way.

Every Tuesday we release a new episode where our founder and host Bryan McAnulty interviews creators from all over the world to hear their stories and discover their secrets to success.

How do we record The Creator's Adventure's episodes?

We used a software called Riverside to record the interviews in a video format and invite our guests on the call in an easy way (they don't have to download an app or install any software).

Once the episode is recorded, we extract both the audio file and the video and publish them in different locations.

How do we find our guests?

We look out for industry leaders, successful creators and business owners via our network and social media platforms.

What do our guests have in common? All of these successful creators managed to take their passions and hobbies and turned them into profitable online businesses. They started their adventure from zero and worked their way up to the success of today.

What kind of microphone does our host use?

Our host uses the Blue Yeticaster Mic and Boom Arm Bundle, you can find it here: https://amzn.to/39eQiUA (affiliate link)

Where do we publish our podcast episodes?

We use a platform called Anchor.fm that lets you publish your podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify from one source. You can use the same software or try alternatives as Buzzsprout or Podbean.

Plus we release a live version of the video episode on our Facebook page, every Tuesday at 9 am US Central time. The recorded version is published the day after on YouTube (video) and Anchor.fm (audio).

Do you want to get inspired by successful creators and learn the secrets of how they started their own businesses? Check out our interview show and podcast The Creator's Adventure: