Let me start this article by saying that I am not a podcast expert. I am, however, a blogger who has turned her blog into a podcast that has made some coins over the last few months. If you are looking to leverage your blog by creating a podcast that can expand your reach and audience while garnering additional opportunities and cashflow, I can tell you how I have been able to do it.
I am going to share a simple, yet effective way to turn your blog into audio for continued promotion and benefits.
Here’s how to turn your blog into a podcast.
1. Develop Your Name and Purpose
Before launching your podcast, you must develop your name and how you will be serving your listeners. Since you are also a blogger, you already have a niche or genre that you have infiltrated, so it’s best to stick with that at first. If you have other topics, interests, and specialities that aren’t covered on your blog, you can create a podcast for that as well. Write down key subjects and topics that you want to talk about and start to write out a list of people you’d like to interview on your podcast.
By doing this first, it can help you create a name for your audio show. Research online to see if the name has been used widely. This can help you determine a good fir for you and your brand.
My podcast is called Work It Podcast, which fits well with The Cubicle Chick readership and online presence. It allows me to talk about items that I am already known for, while giving me another communication stream to share my jewels.
2. Podcast Platform and Tools
Once you’ve selected a name and topic for your show, you will need to decide on what podcasting tools and platform(s) you are going to use. I use GarageBand to record my podcasts. It is a multi-track system that’s pretty easy to use. If you have a PC, you can try which are comparable recording programs. Audacity is one that I hear about a lot from PC podcasters.
You will also need a microphone. There are hundreds to choose from. I use the Yeti Ultimate USB Microphone by Blue, which allows me to record solo as well as conduct interviews. The quality of the mic is awesome, and will give you a nice and rich sound. People will take you more seriously if your recordings are crisp, clear, and appealing to the listener. You will also need headphones, too.
There are other things to consider. Do you want an intro and or outro for your podcast and if so, getting one created and recorded. I purchased my intro and outro on Fiverr. Will you have theme music?
Listen to other podcasts and decide how you want yours produced.
3. Content
As a blogger, you already have awesome content that you’ve created. With your podcast, you can repurpose that content and use it as material to cover. I take a lot of the blog posts that I’ve written, and formulate a show around that topic. It also gives me an opportunity to lead my audience back to my website to read more.
Alongside the content I’ve already created (and this includes any guest posts or contributions I’ve written on other websites), I also utilize guests and interviews to keep the show fresh. Doing so helps me cross-pollinate my traffic and audience with other personal brands and personalities, and since they share the podcast with their audience, gives me more listeners.
Develop a content calendar much like you do for your blog to stay organized. Once you do a few shows, you can see what topics really resonate with your listeners, and then you can begin crafting content to serve them audibly.
4. Schedule
Next, you must figure out how often you will record and produce your podcast. Because of my schedule, weekly is too much for me, so I decided on a bi-weekly show. There are others who do it monthly and even quarterly. Having a regular schedule allows your listeners to know when you will have new programming, especially as they start subscribing to your podcast.
You also have to determine the length of the podcast. Mine is approximately 30 minutes, which seems to be a sweet spot for me. I’ve seen podcasts as short as 15 minutes and as long as 2 hours. It is really up to you how long to make it.
5. Graphics and Visuals
Okay, so you’ve got your name and purpose, your tools and audio equipment. Your content is ready and you’ve developed a schedule. Now it’s time to record your podcast and then create graphics and visuals to help market your show. You will need a podcast cover that will be used on iTunes and other platforms, something that is visually productive and catches the eye. You may also want to produce graphics for sharing on social media, and most importantly, on your blog.
6. Syndication
Now, it’s time to upload your podcast. There are many ways to do it, but I will tell you how I do mine. I use Soundcloud to upload my podcast (it’s free, but there are some paid features that give you more options, like analytics). I’ve linked my iTunes account to my Soundcloud feed, so within 20 minutes of my podcast being on Soundcloud, it is then available on iTunes for listeners to download. There are so many other syndication platforms for your podcast like Stitcher, Google Play, and more.
Since beginning my podcast earlier this year, I’ve been able to monetize it by selling ads (so far, I’ve produced 15 shows and 5 of them were sponsored, with another 2 sponsorships in the works), and I’ve expanded my audience and reach. For people who are commuting or listening to podcasts at work, I’ve been able to win them over and deliver them content the way that they like to enjoy it.
In addition, my podcast costs me less than it does to run my blog! I wish I would’ve started being serious about podcasting earlier, but I guess it’s better late than never.
It helps to have a well-established blog and/or personal brand to help to convert listeners over to your podcast, but even if you are a beginner, podcasting is definitely worth a shot!
You can listen to my latest podcast, Surviving Breast Cancer HERE.
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