Business owners and thought leaders are often hesitant to produce their own podcasts, as they believe it would require a major time commitment. In reality, this isn’t the case.
With the support of a production service, it has never been easier for business owners and thought leaders to develop and produce podcast episodes.
And for those who want to do it all on their own, that DOES require more time, but it is still doable.
So if you have value to bring to a niche audience but don’t know where to begin, don’t worry.
This article breaks down what you need to know about what it takes to produce a podcast, whether you do it yourself or hire help.
Should you produce your own podcast?
If you choose to do all the heavy lifting yourself, distributing professionally recorded and edited podcast episodes is going to take some time, at least in the early days. Rather than doing all the hard work yourself, we recommend outsourcing this to a business or agency offering podcast production services for individuals and organizations operating in your niche.
Those who have taken a moment to explore the market will have seen that podcast production services come in all shapes and sizes – with some taking a more hands-on approach than others. When you start working with a podcast production vendor, they should be able to tailor their approach to meet your needs.
To hit the ground running, you will need to ensure a reasonable amount of effort is being poured into the production of your podcast. The bulk of this effort can come from those providing you with podcast production services – giving you the time and energy to focus on the content.
How much does podcast production cost?
The cost of podcast production depends on the level of involvement required. In most cases, business owners and thought leaders will be happy to record the content themselves – leaving the production vendor to cut the content together and distribute it across the various platforms.
If you are feeling slightly daunted by the prospect of recording podcast episodes for the first time, it can be comforting to have the support of a professional production team at your disposal.
We will not pretend that consistently releasing high-quality content is easy. If you’re not well-versed in the production workflow or process of podcast creation, you are likely to come across some challenges along the way.
If you are committed to building an audience with high-value audio episodes, podcast production services will be worth every penny. The right production services can transform your audio clips into fully-fledged podcast episodes.
How much money can you make with podcasts?
Those on the entertainment side of podcasting usually make money from sponsors and affiliate marketing. If you are a business owner or industry leader and want to start a podcast, it makes sense to focus all calls-to-action around your key products or services.
As a form of content marketing, a podcast is another sales engine for either your business or you as an individual. This channel of communication will help you to build more personal relationships with potential customers.
Is having a podcast profitable?
If you can build an engaged audience, having a podcast can be incredibly profitable. It’s all about producing content that can be leveraged to drive your desired call-to-action.
For business owners and industry leaders, the primary motivation for starting a podcast doesn’t have to be sales conversations. This is an opportunity for you to establish yourself as a thought leader on a particular topic – and become an authority in any given industry.
Do you frequently use Twitter to communicate your thoughts and feelings about industry developments? Why not channel this energy into podcast episodes? Longer-form content gives you the chance to expand your thoughts and take a deep dive into topics of interest.
Do Anchor podcasts make money?
Anchor offers monetization options by placing ads in your episodes. They have been able to build this infrastructure with the support of an advertising network.
This makes Anchor the perfect platform for those who don’t have pre-existing connections with brands that are willing to spend advertising dollars. Regardless of whether you want to utilize Anchor’s monetization options, the platform has the attention of many ears.
Anchor currently powers 70% of Spotify’s total podcast catalog. This is around 1.3 million out of over 1.9 million audio shows.
The podcast creation software was recently acquired by the streaming platform. While recording and distributing audio content has never been easier, you will still need the support of podcast production services to create high-value audio content.
If you are serious about podcasting and building an audience, you are likely to want to do your own editing with professional software or instruct those offering podcast production services to do this for you. To get started with the very basics of recording and publishing audio content, Anchor is great – but this isn’t a solution for those looking to make a big impression.
Can you make a podcast by yourself?
Nothing is stopping you from making a podcast by yourself and publishing it across all the various streaming platforms. The question is, do you have the time?
Recording the audio content is only half the battle. Alongside the editing of the content, designing and writing marketing materials can take up a tremendous amount of time.
It can take longer to edit and distribute the episodes than to actually record the content. If you’re short on time but recognize the value of producing audio content for your audience, we would recommend utilizing podcast production services.
With more production services on the market than ever before, there has never been a better time to start looking for a podcast production partner. From offering basic editing services to a comprehensive end-to-end solution, you can find a partner that will meet your requirements.
At Cashflow Podcasting, when we begin working with a business owner or thought leader on their podcast content, we start by learning about their ambitions for the podcast. Understanding what success looks like will ensure everyone stays on the same page throughout the process.
After all, podcast production is nearly always a team effort. If a business owner wants to create a podcast that will drive sales conversions for their latest products, this objective will be at the forefront of the production services.
When a client has a specific objective, we do everything we can to optimize our services around the objective. From the cover art to the podcast description, every detail plays an important role in supporting the objectives of the podcast host.
Do podcast guests get paid?
We encourage podcast hosts to avoid paying for guests to feature on their episodes. Typically, a guest will come onto a podcast to promote their latest work. This could be anything from a new book to a series of webinars.
With this in mind, the guests are monetizing the attention of your podcast for their own gain, while providing you with engaging content for your audience. It’s completely transactional.
Some services will help to find and book interesting guests for your episodes. While the guests are not going to charge any money to appear, there will usually be a small service fee from the intermediary.
When you’re browsing through the various podcast booking services on the marketplace, we recommend focusing on the services that operate on a pay-per-performance model. This will ensure you get value for money.
It is the responsibility of the host to be prepared with a good understanding of their guest’s work. This will give the host time to think of thoughtful questions that have been specifically designed to drive insightful conversation and provide the listeners with greater value.
It all comes down to making the guest shine – and this can be achieved through strategic questioning. In return, the guest will provide the audience with engaging and insightful content.
Do you want to launch a podcast? We can help you to hit the ground running with our podcast production services. Schedule a call today to find out more about our services.
Founder and Chief Podcast Educator at Cashflow Podcasting. Ben specializes in helping thought leaders and entrepreneurs amplify their impact through podcasting. He’s a world traveller, outdoor sports junkie and future enthusiast!