Starting a podcast is an excellent idea, considering there are five million podcasts as of February 2023!
When an exceptional idea sparks in your head about creating a unique podcast show, a series of questions will also follow in your head, including, will your podcast be successful. Will people like it? And most importantly, how to start a podcast with no audience?
This article will be your complete guide to solving your queries and provide you with inside tips and strategies to get started with podcasts, even when you have no audience!
We have also included our recommendations and suggestions for each detail that will act as your guide throughout.
With that, let’s dive into the details!
Can You Really Start A Podcast With No Audience?
When starting a podcast, there will be various questions in your head. To give you a straightforward answer, yes, you can start a podcast without any audience. But this does not mean that no one will hear your podcast. Many people back out when they realize they have no existing audience, in fear that they will never get recognition.
Well, let’s be honest here. Unless you are a celebrity, influencer, or someone with a good audience on other platforms, you won’t receive immediate responses when you start your podcast. However, that doesn’t mean your podcast will never see the limelight.
When starting a podcast with zero audiences, you work your ways to build an audience as you start your journey.
In the initial stage, you only need a niche, a good podcast script, and equipment to record your podcast and publish it! Over the course of time, you can work simultaneously to capture the attention of a broad audience and ensure you get recognition.
The next section will cover a step-by-step guide on how you can get started with a podcast!
A Complete Guide To Start A Podcast With No Audience
If you are keen to start a podcast with zero audiences, it doesn’t come as a surprise to see how challenging it can be to build a successful podcast with zero audiences. However, here is a complete breakdown of our guide to help you kickstart your journey!
- Pick Your Niche
The first step to getting started with no audience is choosing your niche. Having a dedicated niche for your podcast will give you the right direction to head. Additionally, your niche will also resonate with your audience as you can market your podcast to a specific group based on the niche.
When picking a niche, many people tend to run behind the one which looks ‘trendy’ or has a higher chance of monetization. While considering this factor is crucial, you might not see the desired results if you pick a niche that doesn’t excite you.
Your niche should always be something you like talking about, are passionate about, or have a lot of knowledge about. For instance, you can start a gaming podcast if you are into gaming. Since it comes from your interest, it will keep the motivation alive to create new content.
Another aspect to consider is the niche’s popularity. This is because if you pick a mainstream niche, there are chances of your competitors covering the majority of the information. Therefore, when looking for the competitors’ hits, look out for their misses so you can take it as an opportunity.
- Create A Listener’s Persona
Once you have your niche, the next step is to build a listener’s persona. You can do this by understanding what your audience might want to hear from your podcast, their questions about the topics in your niche, and what they will like as your answer. Furthermore, you can do so by doing a simple exercise yourself. For instance, put yourself in your listener’s shoes and question what you expect from the podcast.
However, one thing to note here is that you won’t have just one listener, and not everyone would expect the same things. Therefore, it would be better to have multiple listener personas so you can cater to different listeners’ needs.
- Identify And Build Your Brand
Once you have the niche for your podcast and understand what your audience might like, the next step is to work on building your brand. You can design your brand aesthetics and identity from scratch if you are entirely new. Similarly, if you already have a personal brand or any other brand online, you might want to make your podcast branding connected to it.
When building your brand persona, it is crucial to note that your brand should resemble and appeal to your targeted audience. Let’s keep it simple by taking a short example. When you open a particular podcast, you already know the introduction music, theme, structure, and what to expect. Even though the topic will be entirely new, you still have an idea about the brand.
This is where you have to create your own brand identity so that people can recognize you. You can create a brand persona to make things simpler. A brand persona represents your brand’s personality, values, and traits.
Moving on to the next step is to choose your brand name. When picking a brand name, ensure that your brand name is unique, memorable, and distinctive. Moreover, it is also essential to check whether the name you chose is available on the social media handles and whether the URL is not taken by someone else.
- Create Your First Podcast
Now that you know the basics and theoretical sides, it is time to put things into action!
Although it is easier said than done, producing your first podcast involves many responsibilities, confusion, and effort. The process of producing your first podcast will vary from one person to another based on multiple factors.
However, you must note that you don’t have to invest in expensive equipment to kickstart your podcasting journey with no audience. Sometimes, even if you don’t have a laptop, you can go ahead with your mobile and make it work.
To break down things in simple steps, the process of producing your first podcast with no audience involves planning your episode, writing scripts, recording, editing, writing description, and more.
While the process can take a few days to weeks for your podcast, we have made it simple by breaking down a complete guide. Our detailed guide lets you learn how to record your podcast in five simple steps. We also have recommendations for the equipment and necessary tools you will need on the way.
- Submit Your Podcast To Different Directories.
As a beginner, it is difficult to get your podcast into the spotlight. With thousands of podcasts on the internet, why exactly should people give your podcast attention? This is where podcast directories come to your rescue.
When you submit your podcasts to podcast directories, you get an opportunity to be seen by people worldwide. Basically, when people for podcasts, they can discover your podcasts under the suggestions. So, the more directories you submit your podcast too, the more your podcast gets a chance to be featured and seen.
If podcast directories are not the only limit you want for your podcasts, you can also submit your podcasts to podcast-centric platforms. Some of the popular ones include Podchaser and Goodpods.
- Utilize The Power Of Social Media
With social media becoming one of the hottest marketing places, it captures the attention of 4.9 billion users worldwide. Irrespective of how long you have been using social media, you may have people you know as your friends or followers on multiple platforms.
Since you already have an account on different platforms, you are all set to start by spreading the word about your podcast to your existing audience. Social media marketing is an in-depth marketing concept that can bring tremendous growth if used correctly.
When sharing your content via social media, remember to understand where your audience is. For example, you might put 100% effort into Facebook marketing only to find out your audience is using Instagram more. Therefore, experimenting and understanding which platform is used the most by your targeted audience will help you build a proper strategy for promotion.
You can create eye-catching clips and teasers of your podcasts, engaging posts or surveys that keep your audience engaged with your content, and more. Overall, social media is a great way to build your podcast community and share views.
There is no one specific right approach when it comes to social media marketing. You can read our complete social media checklist to understand how to utilize social media to your advantage with complete guidelines.
- Reach Out To Podcast Newsletters
Another incredible way to reach your podcast to the right set of audiences is through podcast newsletters. Podcast newsletters already have a built-in community that rolls out timely newsletters to dedicated podcast listeners. The content can vary from one newsletter to another. For example, they may contain tips and tricks about podcasting, reviews, recommendations, and more.
If your show is featured in these newsletters, you have a high chance of getting a new audience from these newsletters. You can reach out to various newsletters and ask for collaborations.
- Collaborate With Your Community
Communities are excellent ways to get started, especially when you are starting with zero audiences. Podcast communities are spaces where podcast hosts and listeners talk about podcasts. The space gives a chance to everyone to discuss tips and suggestions, share their experience, learn from others, network with each other, and more.
Additionally, you can even promote your podcast to other people. However, one thing to remember when joining any community is to abide by its guidelines strictly. Each community has restrictions and limitations on how and when you can promote your podcasts.
As long as you comply with the given rules, you can explore more opportunities. Furthermore, you can collaborate with other podcasters in the community and work with them separately.
- Appear As A Guest On Other Podcasts
Another incredible way to get started with your podcast when you have no audience is to appear as a guest on other podcasts.
As podcast listeners, we have always seen guests appearing on podcasts and discussing various topics. While this may not look like a big deal, it can be an excellent opportunity to get recognition from other podcast hosts’ audiences.
When you appear as a guest, the existing podcast listeners will be excited to know more about you and be curious to check out your podcast. This is a way to bring and pull the audience from various sides.
- Try Podcast Ads
If you are a podcast listener yourself, you may have seen ads or promotions of other podcasts in between. Ever wondered what these are?
Of course, these are advertisements, but when you promote your podcast in another existing podcast, you have a higher chance of grabbing the user’s attention. It can be as simple as mentioning your podcast by another host on their show or a small snippet or trailer of your podcast.
Find the popular podcasts in your niche with a wider audience or listeners. You can reach out to the podcast host and discuss the details of the advertisements. Usually, there will be charges for advertisements. Come to mutual terms, and there you go! Let people discover your podcasts via other popular ones.
- Spread The Word Through Other Channels
Your audience is not at just one single place or social media channel. With 8 billion people worldwide, you will find your audience everywhere! You can opt for YouTube videos and try out the best content methods that work for you.
Whether it is tutorials or a simple video, you can experiment with the right set of content and grab additional users there. Another way to attract more audiences is by creating and publishing blog posts around your niche.
For example, you can start by publishing blog posts on podcasts. You can also conduct keyword research to understand what your audience demands. For keyword research, Semrush can assist you in understanding the right keywords you can target. Once you have the keyword research, it is time to invest in a good content writer.
If you are curious about writing or think you can explain it better, you can write these blog posts independently. Once you publish blog posts in your niche, you can grab more attention from different audiences and implement proper SEO techniques.
The key takeaway to remember here is that you don’t always have to follow what others do. You can take one approach at once and see which is showing the desired results.
- Be Consistent With Publishing New Episodes And Content
We all have heard the phrase that consistency is the key to everything. Well, it implies starting a podcast with no audience too. Whether you already have an audience or starting from scratch, you must be consistent with your efforts.
You can try to plan your podcasts in advance so you don’t rush in the end moment and always have sufficient time in hand to roll out episodes for your podcast. In addition, it is vital to have a proper schedule for your podcast publishing and prepare a calendar.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that many people give up their podcasting journey in the middle when they see no results. Evidently, you won’t see the results of your efforts in a few days, weeks, or even months. Sometimes it will take a while for your hard work to be rewarded and see the results you want from your constant efforts.
Either way, we encourage you to be consistent with your efforts. Inconsistency can hinder your growth and also have various negative consequences.
Mistakes You Can Eliminate When Starting a Podcast With No Audience
Since we have already explained how to start a podcast with no audience or from scratch, you can implement the abovementioned methods. However, many people commit mistakes in the initial stage that can affect their journey in the long run.
Before you end up rushing towards starting your podcast, remember to keep these things in mind.
- Not Designing Value Proposition:
Your podcast is also your product; understanding its value to your listeners can make things easier. To ensure your podcast provides quality, understand where the value of your product lies. Determine whether your podcast focuses more on problem-solving, entertainment, or anything else.
- Rushing Directly Into Producing Podcasts.
Understandably, you want to get started with your podcasting. However, various things must be considered before you start creating your podcast. Recording and publishing are a part of your journey. Moreover, you should focus on the other aspect equally before getting started. Understanding your audience, competitors, content, and more will help ease the process.
- Not Understanding Your Audience.
At the end of the day, it is your audience that is going to make or break your podcast. Not understanding who your audience is or what they want can put all your efforts to be in vain. One of the best ways to understand your audience is to put yourself in their shoes and determine what they would like. Although we have explained it better ahead of time, we recommend putting maximum effort into understanding your audience before you begin.
- Lack Of Marketing.
When we talk about marketing, we don’t mean investing thousands of dollars in spreading the word about your podcast. Marketing doesn’t always have to be expensive. If you are just getting started, you can take advantage of the primary marketing efforts from your end. This can include email marketing, social media marketing, newsletters, appearing as a guest, and more. Moreover, the first and foremost marketing effort would be to share your podcast with your friends and family. Remember, marketing starts with making people around you aware of your product.
Related Read:
- How To Listen to Podcasts On iPhone
- Best True Crime Podcasts
- Best Podcast Recording Software
- How to Publish a Podcast
- How to Write a Podcast Script
- How to Record a Podcast Remotely
Wrapping Up!
Starting a podcast can look challenging, especially when you have no audience. However, with our guide above, you can kickstart your podcasting journey without hassle.
Remember, before you record and publish your podcast, conduct thorough research. This will help you pick the right topic that people are looking for, hence helping you gain a higher audience.
With that, we hope this article helped you understand how to start a podcast with no audience. If you have any queries, feel free to drop them in the comments section below, and we will devise an effective solution.
FAQs
You can start a podcast without guests by creating a solo podcast. You can add value to your content, create good-quality audio, and promote your podcast with effective marketing.
Yes! You can start a podcast even if you have no existing audience. You can follow our complete guide mentioned above to start your podcast and get the best results.
The answer to this question will vary, depending on various factors. Initially, you won’t earn anything since you are getting started. However, once you start gaining an audience, you may earn depending on the downloads.
