How To Start A Podcast And Make Money In 2024

When you’re looking for creative ways to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry, increase your visibility, and increase awareness (and possibility sales) for your business, it’s important to look at what you know, and how you can repurpose it. You know everything (or nearly everything) about what you do, right? You’ve grown, you’ve made mistakes and learned from them along the way, you’ve upskilled, you’ve made connections, and you’ve got a lot to share with the world. 

As small business owners, we’re constantly looking for ways to stand out from the crowd and connect with our target audience and at the same time, not increase our work loads! And that's where podcasting comes in. With our own podcast, "Bite-Size Business'', (a collaboration with my digital BFF Jenni Walke from Elephant in the Room Consulting) we've seen firsthand the power of podcasting to build relationships, establish authority, and drive growth. And, we're thrilled to be the 🏆 GOLD AWARD WINNERS 🏆 for Podcast Of The Year with the Roar Success Awards! In this post, we'll explore the benefits of starting your own podcast and provide tips to get you started.

Jenni Walke, Elephant In The Room Consulting and Kylie Mowbray-Allen Hello Media, bite-size business live video podcast.

Podcasting has surged in popularity over recent years, becoming a compelling medium for content consumption. A podcast is essentially a series of spoken-word digital audio and/or video files that a user can download or stream. Typically available as episodes, podcasts cover a wide array of topics, from entertainment and education to niche industry insights. 

For small business owners, podcasting offers a unique platform to connect with a new audience, share expertise, and promote their brand in an engaging and accessible format. Podcasting can help establish authority, increase visibility, build relationships, and drive sales, ultimately contributing to your business growth!

 

Establish Authority 

In the digital age, establishing oneself as an authority in a particular niche is crucial for business success. Podcasting provides an excellent platform for small business owners to showcase their expertise. By creating content that delves deep into industry-specific topics, you can demonstrate your knowledge and provide valuable insights to your audience. This not only positions you as an expert but also builds trust and credibility with your listeners. For instance, if you run an eCommerce business or an HR agency, discussing the latest trends, techniques, top tips, market changes etc through a podcast can set you apart from competitors and establish your authority in the field. Showcase yourself as the expert in your area. 

Increase Visibility

With millions of people tuning into podcasts daily, podcasting offers a unique opportunity to reach a wider audience. Unlike traditional forms of content, podcasts can be consumed on the go—during commutes, workouts, or while doing your household chores. This convenience means that your content can reach an audience who might not have the time or desire to read your blog or watch your video. 

One of the most significant advantages of podcasting is its versatility. Your podcast can be shared on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more. BUT there’s so much more you can do with it! You can also repurpose your podcast content into other formats, such as blog posts, videos, social media posts, and even email newsletters. 

This means you can reach an even wider audience and maximise your content's potential. For example, you can transcribe your podcast episodes into blog posts, create short video clips for social media, or use your podcast as a basis for email newsletters. The possibilities are endless. Here’s how we repurpose our bite-size business show

Diagram showing how the Hello Media and Elephant In the Room BIte-size business podcast is repurposed, for social media, newsletters, reels, graphics, blogs and more.

 

Build Relationships

One of the most significant benefits of podcasting is its ability to explore relationships. Through your podcast, you can create a sense of community among your listeners by engaging with them regularly and encouraging feedback. This interaction helps build a loyal customer base that feels connected to your brand. Podcasting opens doors to collaborations with all sorts of people from colleagues to industry leaders to interviewing your clients, showcasing both you and them at the same time. Inviting guests to your podcast not only provides fresh content but also strengthens professional relationships. These collaborations can lead to cross-promotion, enhancing your reach and credibility even further. In our bite-size business podcast, we have a plan for our topic, but we chat unscripted, and cover at least 3 subtopics within each episode. Occasionally we bring in a guest when we need an expert in their field, to cover a topic we're keen to chat about. 

Drive Sales

While building authority, increasing visibility, and fostering relationships are essential, the ultimate goal for any business is to drive sales. Podcasting can significantly contribute to this objective. By offering valuable content and establishing a connection with your audience, you create trust, which is a critical factor in purchasing decisions. Regular listeners who perceive you as an expert are more likely to consider your products or services when they need them. Additionally, you can strategically include call-to-actions (CTAs) in your episodes, directing listeners to your website, special offers, or product launches. These tactics can effectively convert listeners into paying customers, driving sales and business growth.

Consider taking your show beyond just audio platforms! One awesome way to do this is by sharing your episodes on YouTube and joining their Partner Program. This way, you can earn a sweet slice of ad revenue pie. It's a great way to get your content in front of a new audience and boost your earnings. 

You'll need to create videos to go along with your podcast episodes, and you can do it super professionally, or you can do it like we do, raw and rustic and easy to do! In our case, the saying, "done is better than perfect" is what we stick to, because if we needed to produce professionally polished episodes every week, it wouldn't happen! We're both running incredibly busy companies, and we'd rather get out content out there and enjoy the process, than make sure it was super polished. So, we go live on Zoom, stream to mulitple platforms (using switchboard) and then load up on to Youtube.

You can either use a static image (like your podcast artwork) or get creative and add some visual flair. Some podcast hosting platforms make it easy by automatically uploading your episodes to YouTube, or you can use video editing software to create your own video content. As your YouTube channel grows and meets the necessary requirements, you'll be able to monetise your videos with ads and unlock other sweet features that YouTube offers. We use Spotify for Podcasters to get our podcast out to mulitple audio platforms, and we upload the Youtube version ourselves, so we can work on the chapters, description, keywords etc. 

BENEFITS:
By sharing your podcast on YouTube, you can tap into a massive user base and attract new listeners who prefer video content, boost engagement with visual elements, and unlock various monetisation opportunities like ads, sponsorships, Super Chat, and channel memberships, diversifying your revenue streams.

CHALLENGES:
Sharing your podcast on YouTube also has some downsides, including the need for extra time and resources to produce video content, intense competition from other creators, and reduced discoverability due to YouTube's video-focused search algorithm, making it tougher to get your podcast noticed.

HOW TO GET STARTED on YouTube: 

Step 1: Create a YouTube Channel for Your Podcast
1. Go to YouTube and create a new channel for your podcast.
2. Customize your channel's branding with your podcast's logo, colors, and artwork.
3. Write a clear description of your podcast, highlighting its unique value proposition.

Step 2: Choose Your Video Format

1. Decide how you want your videos to look:

  • Static images with audio
  • Video footage and additional visuals

2. Convert your podcast episodes into your chosen video format.

Step 3: Upload and Optimize Your Videos

1. Upload your video episodes to your YouTube channel.
2. Optimize each video's:

  • Title
  • Description
  • Tags

3. This will help people find your videos on YouTube.

Step 4: Promote Your YouTube Videos

1. Share your YouTube videos on social media.
2. Embed them on your podcast's website.
3. Engage with your audience:

  • Ask viewers to subscribe to your channel.
  • Encourage comments and shares.
  • Respond to comments and engage with your viewers.

That's it! By following these steps, you can successfully share your podcast on YouTube and grow your audience.

Summary

Podcasting is a multifaceted tool that can establish your authority, increase your visibility, build strong relationships, and ultimately drive sales and increase revenue. If you haven't yet ventured into the world of podcasting, now is the perfect time to start! Whether you want to produce a podcast like bite-size, or you want to go all out with a professionally polished and produced podcast, the choice is yours and it all depends on what you're wanting to get out of the experience. 

Our journey in podcasting reached new heights, with our Bite-Size Business Podcast being crowned Podcast Of The Year at the prestigious Roar Success Awards 2024! This outstanding achievement is awesome on so many levels, but also because we're producing this show in our way, with what suits our schedules and capacities. We're basking in the glory of this recognition, and we're more committed than ever to delivering top-notch content to our loyal listeners and viewers.

So, take the plunge, share your expertise, and watch your business thrive. Happy podcasting! 

 

2024-Roar-success-awards-hello-media-kylie-mowbray-allen and jenni walke elephant in the room consulting
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