DigitalMarketer Headquarters4330 Gaines Ranch Loop, Suite 120

Austin, TX 78735

c Copyright 2020DigitalMarketer LLC. All Rights Reserved.

May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

DigitalMarketer.com

ABOUT DIGITALMARKETER

DigitalMarketer combines the largest community of digital marketing pros on planet Earth with the best dang

digital marketing training you’ll find anywhere.

We’re on a mission to double the size of 10,000 businesses and want to help you:

Drive more traffic, produce stellar content, write emails that generate clicks, ...and become the smartest marketer

in the room.

If you like what you see, you can create a free DigitalMarketer Insider account and get instant access to

over 30 of our best tools.

CONTENTSINTRODUCTION 04STEP 1 05STEP 2 08STEP 3 09STEP 4 10STEP 5 11STEP 6 12

OKAY, SO YOU’VE DECIDED YOU’RE FINALLY GOING TO DO IT. YOU’RE GOING TO LAUNCH THAT PODCAST YOU’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.

But you don’t want to just launch it. You want to successfully launch it. You want to create a podcast that’ll be subscribed to by more than your best friend (who’s really just listening to be nice).

No, you want to start a podcast that will get listeners not because they know you but because they get value from each episode. A podcast that will make an impact—to both your listeners and your brand.

To do that you’re gonna need a plan. Podcasts that stand the test of time, that stand out from the crowd and don’t get lost in the noise have a plan.

So before you record your first episode, follow these 6 steps so you can launch ANY podcast in ANY market.

4Introduction

STEP 1:DECIDE ON YOUR PODCAST’S STYLE

Really successful podcasts have a consistent concept and style. And you have a few different style options for your podcast. Think about which of the following would be the best fit to reach your audience:

1

INTERVIEW-STYLE PODCAST

This is the most common style of podcast, in which the host conducts an interview in each episode.

For example, in each episode of I’ll Drink to That!, host Levi Dalton interviews a wine expert and names the episode after that particular interviewee.

LOCATION-BASED PODCAST

In this type of show, the podcast centers on the location where it’s recorded.

For instance, The MeatEater is about hunting and outdoor activities and is recorded on the road from locations around the U.S. Every episode is about a different location and the experience that follows.

5Step 1

STORYTELLING PODCAST

This type of podcast tells a story.

There’s a good chance you’re familiar with some of the more popular shows in this category—like Serial, Dr. Death, and S-Town.

Stories have a real power to resonate with people, which explains why Serial was the first podcast to hit 5 million downloads on iTunes (and that was way back in April 2015).

TEACHING PODCAST

In a teaching podcast, each episode instructs its listeners on a particular topic.In Coffee Break Spanish, for example, the show gives listeners a Spanish lesson in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.

A MIX: TEACHING/INTERVIEW/CASE STUDIES

This style is a cross between…

• Teaching listeners• Interviewing experts• Examining case studies

The Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast focuses on conversations about fitness, nutrition, and biohacking, and also features interviews with health experts and nutrition scientists.

6Step 1

MINI-SERIES PODCASTS

This is where you create episodes that have more than one part: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, etc.

These are extremely powerful episodes because they essentially leave people hanging. It makes them want to come back to know the end result.

We do this with our podcasts whenever we need more time to dive into a topic in greater depth:

Many storytelling podcasts leverage this same principle. Take a show like Serial, for instance. The entire podcast is basically one big mini-series.

7Step 1

STEP 2:DECIDE ON YOUR EPISODE’S LENGTH

Successful podcasts also tend to produce shows of a consistent length. Some shows focus on brief episodes—Content Inc., for example, has episodes as short as 5 minutes. On the other end of the spectrum, The Tim Ferriss Show’s episodes can last 2 hours or more each.

To decide on your episode length, think about your audience.

How much free time do they have? Are you making this show for busy professionals who can only listen for 20 minutes while they’re driving to work? If so, consider making your episodes 20 minutes, max.

Also think about how knowledgeable your audience is, compared to the complexity of your topic. If your show focuses on basic dieting for weight loss, for example, you can probably keep episodes relatively short. A show that focuses on the nitty-gritty details of nutritional science, on the other hand, likely needs more time to delve into its complex material.

2

8Step 2

STEP 3:FIGURE OUT HOW OFTEN YOU’LL PUBLISH EPISODES

A common mistake we see all the time:

Someone will start a podcast, and at first, they’re gung-ho about publishing new episodes regularly.

But over time, as other work crowds into their podcasting time, they start publishing episodes late. Then missing episodes altogether. Finally, they settle into an inconsistent schedule in which they’re publishing episodes whenever they feel like it or whenever they can find the time.

This is a problem, folks. Having a consistent publishing schedule is an extremely important factor in a podcast’s success. Publishingconsistently will help you build a loyal audience who will know when to expect a new episode. This will help to ensure people keep coming back and download your podcast. And having consistent downloads is a key factor for having good rankings.

So when you decide on a publishing frequency, make sure it’s something you can stick to for the long haul. Determine how often you’ll publish and which day(s) you’ll publish.

Your publishing schedule isn’t written in stone. You CAN change it if you think you need to. Maybe you realize your podcast is working well, so you increase your frequency from once a month to twice a month. Or, maybe new responsibilities force you to reduce your frequency from weekly to biweekly.

Just don’t change your publishing frequency too often because that will confuse audience members who are used to hearing from you on a regular basis. And if you do change your publishing schedule after you’ve launched your podcast, make sure you communicate that to your audience in advance so you don’t lose listeners.

3

9Step 3

STEP 4:DECIDE ON A TITLE

Your podcast’s title is important. Ideally, it will grab people’s attention, promise a benefit, and give them a hint as to what your podcast is about.

That’s a tall order!

To help get you started, look up some similar podcasts in your space and use their titles as inspiration. Do they share a common tone, style, or promise? Can you do something similar but different?

It’s also a smart idea to perform some keyword research. If there’s a relevant keyword that makes sense for your podcast, work it into your title. Use Google Keyword Planner to look up the search volume.

4

10Step 4

STEP 5:WRITE YOUR ITUNES SUMMARY

Your iTunes summary is the place to tell visitors, in more detail, exactly what your show is about. You want to use this space to tell people what problem you’ll help them solve, and any other reasons why they should listen to your podcast. So you’re going to want to write in a way that grabs people’s attention.

Put some work into this copy because it occupies a prominent place on your show page:

5

Because iTunes is a big search engine, this is another good place to include relevant keywords. If you’ve featured well-known influencers on your show, for instance, consider mentioning them here by name.

Just be aware, though, that iTunes has been known to remove podcasts for saying things like, “This show is inspired by [insert influencer or celebrity]” just to include that person’s name as a keyword. So be wary of unnecessary name-dropping (particularly if the person in question has not been on your show).

11Step 5

STEP 6:CREATE PODCAST ARTWORK THAT MEETS ITUNES’ REQUIREMENTS

Your podcast artwork is extremely important. A good podcast icon will stand out and grab attention. And just like your title, you’ll want this to speak to your specific audience. This is a task you may want to outsource to a professional designer.

Here are a few suggestions for your podcast artwork:

• Try using bright colors that stand out• Consider adding an image of yourself to foster a personal connection• Make sure your image is easy to see and read on mobile—like ours:

6

To meet iTunes’s requirements, your image needs to be at least 1400 x 1400 pixels, with a maximum of 3000 x 3000 pixels.

And with that, you have a plan and a process you can use to launch a podcast that will generate downloads and subscribers. Now you’re ready to start recording and editing your episodes so you can launch!

12Step 6

Now that you’ve gone through this resource, it’s time to use it! But simply reading through this resource will only get you so far. Effectively using this information requires other skills–from copywriting to paid traffic.

You need systems and checklists to…

• Produce content that engages your customer avatar

• Write compelling copy that gets the user to convert

• Make a retargeting campaign so you can continueto nurture your lead through the Customer ValueJourney

…not to mention, you need a compelling offer in the first place for your landing page to be effective.

That’s where DigitalMarketer Lab+ comes in! Lab+ offers foundational digital marketing training that will help you build compelling landing pages and create digital marketing campaigns that drive results.

WHAT’S NEXT?

13

Your Lab+ membership gets you this and more...

• 11 acclaimed marketing certifications and masterycourses

• 36 (and counting) business execution plans, aka“checklists on steroids”

• Access to our private, members-only communityof entrepreneurs, digital marketers, and businessowners

The Lab+ training platform and community will give you the tools and skills you need to grow as a digital marketer, so you can always be the smartest marketer in the room.

So, if you’re looking to kick it up a notch and become a better marketer, start your free trial of Lab+ today!

As a member, you’ll be trained and certified as...

Join Lab+ Today for FREE »Join Lab+ Today for FREE »

14