In running a thriving and engaging podcast, success is determined by more than simply having an interesting conversation and posting it online. Whether the goal of a podcast is to drive sales, increase enrollments, highlight company culture, or educate and inspire listeners, it is imperative that a plan for success is established before the first episode is even released. Developing a pre-launch strategy is often an overlooked, yet crucial element in setting up your podcast for success. As Benjamin Franklin wisely put it, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
Having a successful podcast goes beyond just releasing and recording episodes. Many do not realize this, and because of that they are not getting as much out of their podcasting experience as they could be. Having a pre-launch strategy in place is key for building anticipation and engagement, ensuring high content quality and consistency, and realizing effective promotion and growth.
Imagine that on day one of creating your YouTube channel, you upload your first podcast episode. It’s exciting, and you have officially taken the first step on your new podcasting journey. But there’s only one problem: your channel doesn’t have many subscribers. You wonder to yourself, “How am I going to get views on this video? I just made my channel, but I don’t know where to start…” This is a common scenario many new podcasters find themselves in, and it all ties back to the same reason: they failed to have a pre-launch strategy in place. Without being proactive about building runway and excitement leading to the release of their first episode, there’s no word of mouth, no announcements, and no teasers made on social media. As a result, there’s little anticipation surrounding the podcast’s launch. Because of that, it’s hard to expect to have a lot of viewership right at release. Having a pre-launch strategy in place allows for immediate engagement to accrue right at the beginning.
Furthermore, developing the theme, tone, and style of the podcast before recording the first episode ensures that the content will be high-quality and maintain a consistent look. Think of your podcast as a business; it’s important to define your podcast’s identity and mission. The last thing you would want to do is jump blindly into podcasting without a clear idea of what the vision is. By carefully crafting your podcast’s theme, tone, and style in advance, you create an appealing experience for your audience. Once this is set in place, it’s wise to record a few episodes in advance, assess how they turn out, and make any adjustments as needed without feeling the pressure of having to release anything on a strict timeline. Once you have launched a few test runs, you’ll know what you’re doing and can hit the ground running right at your first release. This will allow you to get one step ahead rather than falling one step behind.
Among the countless reasons why having a pre-launch strategy in place is imperative for podcasting success, one of the most significant is developing a winning game plan for effective promotion and growth. “Who is your target audience?” and, “How are you going to reach them?” are essential questions that need to be asked and answered in advance to ensure a successful podcast series. A critical stage in the pre-launch process is determining which keywords you will utilize for SEO optimization. These keywords should be focused on reaching your target audience. This is what will help you rank in the search results and appear as a recommended channel on other pages. It is absolutely critical that you have an effective marketing strategy in place before launch to maximize viewership and achieve the desired goals of your podcast. Additionally, planning ahead is necessary for scheduling guests on your show and ensuring that you will have a steady stream of content to release when your season kicks off.
As forgotten as it often is, the generation and implementation of an effective pre-launch strategy is one of the first, yet most important stages in ensuring podcast success. Having this plan in place exponentially increases your podcast’s likelihood of garnering anticipation and engagement, ensuring high content quality and consistency, and achieving effective promotion and growth. It’s natural to be pumped up and excited about your new podcast and want to put the cart before the horse, and that’s great! You should be excited. But, it is very important to take a step back and come up with a plan that can be implemented to achieve maximum success. There are many ways to come up with a pre-launch strategy, but many often fail to plan or make mistakes in their execution. Having access to a system for creating and effectively executing a gold standard pre-launch strategy will ensure that you become heard, seen, and profitable and bring your podcasting dreams to life.
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