Nearly every day, we at VAFLIX get asked, “What is the best way to create a successful podcast?”

There is no single response that can adequately address this inquiry. It takes a lot of moving parts to produce an entertaining and informative podcast, and you need a lot of those moving parts. The production of a successful podcast can be accomplished in a variety of ways.

I want to share with you 10 strategies used by podcasters to gauge their own success in this post.

Is the sound quality excellent?

Even though it might seem obvious, the vast majority of great podcasts have great sound quality. Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of podcasts out there that sound like they were recorded in a box, and they are incredibly popular. But these podcasters have one thing in common: they invest money in the audio quality of their shows.

These podcasters spend money on both hardware and audio editing software.

At the end of the day, you want your listeners to enjoy their time with your podcast without having to constantly strain their ears to hear the program’s content.

In my opinion, you should consider whether it’s time to upgrade your equipment. For your listener, better hardware and software can make a huge difference. 

Do you use a paid podcast hosting service?

I am aware that many podcasters find this to be a sensitive topic.

As you can see, there are more people who have problems with the service than success stories.

That being said, if you are a podcaster, Anchor is still a fantastic service to launch your show. You might wonder why you were using a paid hosting service in the first place if you were trying to expand your program.

Programs that don’t publish on time or podcast episodes that disappear from their directory are two of the frequent complaints I’ve heard about Anchor. Furthermore, I’ve heard that they don’t have the best customer service.

If you plan to use a free podcast hosting service, be aware that you will have to start your podcast from scratch once you decide you are not satisfied with their service.

Paid hosting services give you access to more analytical tools and give you control over your own RSS feed. They also give you the customer service you deserve.

The most crucial thing you could do as a podcaster is to have control over your RSS feed. This enables you to change services without having your podcast delivery interrupted.

Even now, I’d still pick paid hosting over any kind of free hosting service.

Do you post thorough show notes on a blog?

I’m referring to the show notes that can be found in a blog post. Successful podcasters who write thorough show notes and post them on their blog are helping themselves by attracting more listeners.

This is due to the fact that these podcasters are aware of the importance of SEO in relation to Google search.

It doesn’t imply that having thorough show notes for Apple podcasts isn’t important, but having them on your blog is just as crucial.

Consider this: Almost always, there is a link to a website that lists each and every podcast episode when you come across a great podcast in Apple Podcasts.

You may occasionally even see the complete interview transcript. You might wonder why I would want to post the entire conversation’s transcript on my blog.

The answer is simple.

Based on the keyword density of the conversation that is placed on the blog post, these podcasters want their website to appear in search results.

 as a pro tip. As a result, Google has a better chance of providing the information seeker with useful search results.

Keep in mind that not every listener searches for podcasts on Apple Podcasts or anywhere else they can find podcasts. You want to be able to appear in front of Google searchers with content whenever they conduct a search thanks to the SEO work you did. 

Do you utilize email marketing tools?

The major podcasters have all made investments in email marketing. This indicates that these podcasters want to broadcast a message via email in addition to broadcasting it across a variety of devices.

Better content inside of emails is one of the best ways to get people interested in your content.

This does not imply that you should invite people to subscribe to your newsletter in order to receive exclusive deals and updates. Instead, you want to present a chance for your listeners to learn something from you.

Even if you are offering free stuff, make sure you are adding value to your list every time you send an email.

It’s important to understand that creating an email list is a fine art before I continue. If you want to have engaged listeners, it takes a lot of skill to persuade someone to join your email list. It’s crucial for you to collect the best email possible rather than the one that is provided to you and will only be used for spam.

So, if I had to offer you any advice at this time, it would be to search for information on email marketing and how to find worthwhile subscribers on Google. There should be a ton of information available to you that will enable you to attract paying customers.

Do you adhere to a release schedule consistently?

One of the biggest complaints I hear from podcasters is that their audiences aren’t expanding. Most of them respond negatively when I ask if they are keeping a regular schedule.

I am aware that because everyone has a different schedule, podcasts can only be released n order to develop a devoted audience, you should establish the rule that you release a podcast at the same time every week.week. To build a loyal audience, you should make it a rule that you put out a podcast every week at the same time. 

Additionally, if you sense that you are beginning to burn out, be sure to inform your audience that you will be taking a break and provide a specific date for your return. By doing this, you avoid disappointing your audience and leaving them hanging.

In order to avoid falling behind on a release schedule, a pro tip is to batch episodes well in advance.

Have you spent time or money looking into various revenue streams?

The top podcasters have all done their research. If you’ve ever paid attention, some of the top 10 podcasts have found a way to make money in some way.

These podcasters have made it a point to use their podcast as a means of making money, whether it be through donations, signing up for a membership, or selling their own goods.

These podcasters have done their research into the framework of how they make their money at each level of monetization. The best podcasters aren’t the ones who start a Patreon page, solicit donations, and then call it quits.

Instead, these individuals are making every effort to market their program and goods in order to increase listener engagement from both a listening and a monetization perspective.

Do you design programming opportunities to produce leads or money?

In this specific section, I’m referring to the podcast’s structure. Long have I preached that podcasters should structure their podcasts similar to what you would hear on terrestrial radio.

If you’ve ever tuned into terrestrial radio, you may have noticed that they have areas that are placed strategically when they’re promoting their own content or opening up sponsorship opportunities. 

Consider whether you can develop these opportunities within your own podcast and how frequently they will appear in your content.

Your listeners will become much more invested in your program if you can develop opportunities within your podcast to drive traffic to your website or to your Apple podcast page.

Identify chances within your program. It’s the untapped game-changer that the majority of podcasters are currently overlooking.

Do you look into how other podcasters run their programs?

The key to producing a successful podcast is to imitate what other podcasters are doing. 

This does not imply that you should adopt the personalities of those you listen to. Instead, you’re paying attention to their ideas and thinking of creative ways to implement them into your own program.

Always keep in mind that if you saw an idea on a late-night TV show or radio program, you can usually adapt it for your own program. As it stands, the majority of us and the radio industry regularly copy each other’s ideas. Who’s to say, then, that you can’t incorporate a few concepts from those working in the radio industry into your podcast?

Be mindful of your interviewing methods and how the hosts of the podcast engage with their guests.  This might make the difference between a good podcast and a great podcast.

Do you use the platforms of other people to promote yourself?

This ought to be fairly simple to comprehend. Simply appear on other podcasts to promote yourself is all I’m asking of you. I’m not telling you to go to a podcast just start talking about your own show.

What I’m referring to is joining another person’s program and enhancing their own program’s value. Because you added value to their programs, the hosts of those programs are more likely to promote you and your program if you do this.

In the end, those who have been promoting other podcasts tend to produce the majority of the excellent podcasts that are available on Apple Podcasts. The typical podcaster won’t get the same traction unless they are actually appearing on other people’s podcasts, unless they have unbridled talent and definitely know how to market their podcast.

You will need to add time for self-promotion somewhere in your schedule. This is not a sign that you are sharing content on social media. It entails actually participating in a podcast and contributing. 

Do you make the most of your editing time?

Possibly one of the most divisive issues in the podcasting community is this. A number of podcast producers and/or podcasters will argue that every word in the program needs to be edited on one side. This entails trimming the dialogue to the point where it sounds robotic and eliminating filler words like “um” and “uh” from the program.

On the other hand, there are those who share my opinion and think that podcasting should feel as natural as possible. I adopted this philosophy because it lessens the amount of time I spend on the scrap heap.

As I show my students how to edit a podcast, they discover that the amount of editing required can be significantly decreased if they aren’t paying attention to every word. Yes, I’ll demonstrate all the shortcuts for using a digital audio workstation to them. However, once I have reduced editing, they realize the issue is with how they are personally experiencing the audio.

A podcast can be valued for being more authentic when it flows and sounds more natural.

A podcast that has been overly edited, however, is obvious and gives the listener a bad listening experience.

The best podcasters don’t pay close attention to every word. Their large number of subscribers and successful conversion of their podcast into a business serve as evidence of this.

There is no simpler situation than this. You can find yourself developing into a fantastic podcaster if you adhere to these ten suggestions.

Keep in mind that everyone defines success differently. Therefore, if you decide to start a podcast as a side business, that could be successful for you. But if you want to treat your podcast as a full-time job, you’ll need to work extremely hard and dedicate a lot of time to making a high-quality show.

The best podcasters have done their research and figured out how to build a loyal audience that will listen to just about anything they produce.

Are you willing to do the same?