Audio at Home

Podcasting is hot right now and since it absolutely fits into the Audio at Home niche, I thought it would be a good idea to run a series dedicated to creating podcasts. This Podcasting Primer will take you from initial topic research all the way to marketing your podcast. All of the installments will be newbie friendly, but I think even seasoned podcasters will find some use for the marketing tactics I will be sharing with you.

If you already have a blog or have done niche research before, then this part will be old hat for you. This article is targeted at those of you who want to start podcasting, but have no idea where to begin. I’m going to start at the very beginning with how to find a great topic. This post assumes that you do not currently have a website and you have never researched hot niches.

Step One: What is your Passion?

The first step in choosing a topic for your podcast is to make a list of subjects about which you are passionate. Many people think that you should first find out what topics are popular, but I say start with the heart. If you decide to swap steps one and two, don’t be surprised if your podcast falls flat and doesn’t go the distance. Producing a regularly scheduled (and it need to be!) podcast is a big committment and if you couldn’t care less about your topic, then you will have trouble completing the tasks necessary to succeed. Podcasting has become a very competitive business, so be prepared to learn some serious marketing skills along the way.

To find a topic you can commit to for a long time, you need to first make a list of things you love: hobbies, people, places, gadgets, etc. The list can be as long or as short as you like, but don’t waste your time with something you know doesn’t have a strong following. For instance, I might love my Xena: Warrior Princess trading cards, but I doubt I could build a large, lasting audience if I decided to podcast about them.

It also helps if your “loves” are also things about which you are knowledgeable. You will want to position yourself as an expert on your topic so listeners will trust and respect you. If there is absolutely nothing you feel comfortable doing this with, you can take the “learn with me as I learn” route, but it can be risky because most people want to learn from someone they feel knows more than they do. Otherwise they feel as though they are wasting their time.

The other option, if you don’t feel like you know much about anything, is to stay one step ahead of your audience. This approach takes more work because you must always be researching and checking your facts, but it can work quite well if done correctly.

Step Two: What Topics Are Hot Right Now?

As I said before, many people recommend that this step is first, but I stick by my belief that longevity cannot be had without passion. If you do not care about the topic of your podcast, it will be very difficult to produce quality content on a regular basis that sparks interest in your listeners. Your listeners will feel your lack of interest and the entire project becomes nothing except an annoying task to be completed as quickly as possible. Not a recipe for success.

That is not to say that this step is not important. Without taking the time to properly research markets, you are wasting your time creating any sort of info-product. You must know that there is an audience for your podcast before you move along in the process.

To find out hot topics we are going to use three free tools that all internet marketers hold dear. Although you may not consider yourself a marketer, if you want your podcast to be successful, you are going to have to learn some marketing skills. These tools are a great place to start.

• Google Trends provides data on popular searches in realtime. From the search screen, you will input the general topics you settled on in step one. In return, you will receive helpful graphs and other data showing you the popularity of your topic.
• The Google Keyword Tool is intended to aid advertisers in finding lucrative keywords for their marketing plans. However, it works just as well in reverse, allowing you to see how much the keywords for your topics are “worth.”
• TheSEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool is a one-stop shop for getting all the keyword information you need. Play around with this for a bit and you will know everything you could possibly want to know about your keyword.

By using one or all of the free tools mentioned above, you will be able to narrow down your list to one laser-targeted topic. now that you have your topic nailed down, you can proceed to the next step of this process. Drop by tomorrow for Part 2 of the Podcasting Primer: Brainstorming Episodes.

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