Podcasting has quickly become a popular marketing tool in recent years.
More than half of the US population has listened to a podcast. 32% of Americans listen to podcasts at least once per month, and 22% listen to podcasts on a weekly basis.
Podcasts have an edge over other distribution channels because of the way that they’re consumed. Listeners don’t need to be tied to a screen like they would with a blog post or video content.
They can listen to a podcast in the car, on public transportation, while they’re cooking dinner, or anywhere else in their leisure time.
For those of you interested in starting a podcast or need help taking your podcast to the next level, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll teach you how to build authority with podcasting.
Identify Your Niche
First and foremost, you need to figure out who you’re trying to target. Not everyone wants to listen to your podcast, and you shouldn’t try to appeal to the masses.
Instead, you’re much better off picking a narrow category and putting your primary focus into that niche.
For example, let’s say you’re starting a podcast about personal finances. That’s such a broad topic. To narrow that niche, you could focus specifically on investing. Break that down even further and target either new investors or investors with a portfolio greater than $200,000.
There is a significant difference between these two types of investors. If you’re trying to target both simultaneously, you’ll likely end up missing the mark.
Stay Up to Date With the Latest News and Trends
To be an authority figure in any category, you must constantly be a student of your practice. If you think you know it all, the quality of your content will suffer.
Things are always changing, especially in particular industries like technology or renewable energy.
It’s in your best interest to read about industry news, subscribe to other authority blog posts, and get your information from a wide range of sources. This will help you remain impartial to certain topics, such as politics.
The vast majority of podcast listeners want to learn something new.
If you’re not staying up to date with the latest trends, how can you possibly give these people what they’re looking for?
Research shows that 68% of podcast listeners have a postgraduate degree. 45% of people who listen to podcasts have a household income of more than $250,000 per year.
These are educated people. You can’t build authority if you’re just regurgitating basic topics without digging deeper at a higher level.
Engage With Your Listeners
You need to find ways to establish a real connection with your audience. Not every podcast is a live radio show where people can call in real-time.
But there are other ways to show your audience that you’re actually listening to them.
You can set up a voicemail box where people can call ahead of time. They can leave a message or voice their opinion on a subject for you to replay during the show.
Otherwise, you can respond to questions and comments that you get on social media. Read tweets on the show and respond to listeners when you’re off the air as well.
Learn From Your Competitors
If you’re just starting out and struggling to come up with a format for your show, look to your competitors for inspiration.
Other podcasts out there are getting hundreds of thousands or even millions of listens. What makes them so successful? You should listen to those shows and try to emulate that formula.
Go to Apple Podcast and browse the top results. This list gets updated every few days or so.
These are the top five overall podcasts right now. Start with these to see what makes them so popular. You’ll likely find that these shows have a similar format.
Once you’ve taken the time to learn more about these, listen to the top podcasts in your area of expertise. If you click on the top right corner of the app, you’ll be able to browse by category.
Let’s say you have a business podcast, here’s what the top five list would look like:
So if I was trying to build authority in the business category, I’d listen to these to see what the top experts in my field were doing.
Collaborate With Experts and Influencers
Another way to build authority with your podcast is by getting well-known people to come on your show. Their presence alone is enough to boost your authority.
For example, let’s say you were starting a podcast about music.
Imagine how many people would want to listen if you were able to get someone like Kanye West on your show? Whether you love him or hate him, everyone seems to have an opinion about this pop icon.
Or maybe you have a health podcast. Wouldn’t you love to get someone like Dr. Oz or Dr,. Mercola on your show?
Not all of us have access to celebrities or the most well-recognized doctors in the world. But you can still collaborate with micro-influencers or other authority experts in your category.
Promote Your Podcast on Other Distribution Channels
You should be featuring your podcast on your website and social media channels. Collect email addresses and send your subscribers updates about upcoming shows.
The number one Apple podcast now, as you can see from the list I showed you earlier, is the Joe Rogan Experience. He also has a YouTube channel with 8+ million subscribers.
Joe records all of his shows on video in addition to audio, then uploads them on YouTube. He also promotes the show on his Instagram page, which has 9+ million followers.
Repurpose your content across as many channels as possible. The more active you are on these other distribution channels, the greater chance you have of becoming an authority figure in the podcast space as well.
Final Thoughts
Building authority doesn’t happen overnight.
For those of you who are trying to establish authority with a podcast, it takes time to achieve your goals. But there are certain things you can start doing right away that will increase your chances of having success in this space.
For those of you who care more about the SEO benefit from the transcriptions of podcasts posted on your site as blog posts, then authority may come initially in the form of Google rankings.
By applying the podcasting tips and best practices that I’ve outlined above, you will slowly but surely start to increase your authority.