5 Questions to Ask Yourself BEFORE Starting Your Podcast
You feel ready to start a podcast and you have a cool name for it - you even bought a fancy microphone!
BEFORE you hit record, it’s important to take some time to answer these 5 questions before starting a podcast!
This is the first step, and you shouldn’t ignore it. Answering these questions will set your podcast for success.
Starting, producing, and growing a podcast is a journey.
It requires a lot of elements, hard work, passion, and consistency - more than you think!
Grab your notebook and pen! Take the time to write down your answers to these 5 important questions that I’m sharing below.
why do you want to start a podcast?
Your WHY will be the guiding force while starting, launching, producing & growing your podcast.
As mentioned earlier, producing a podcast is a journey. Your WHY will need to be clear when you navigate on growing your podcast.
It will fuel you to continue producing your show, so take the time to question yourself as to why you are starting your podcast.
Some examples to help you zoom in on your why can be:
You're passionate about a topic
You can create long form content
Create a positive influence on your business
Develop multiple skills
Write your answer down so you can go back to it as you develop your podcast's concept.
what is your podcast’s primary goal?
To answer this question, you want to be very specific and define what you want to achieve!
If you are starting a podcast for your business or just for fun, the goal will be vastly different.
Some examples to help you choose a primary goal for your podcast can be:
To make money by monetizing
Generate leads for a business
Establish your brand as a thought leader
Customer loyalty
Remember! Your goal can change in the future. As long as your goal aligns with your WHY of starting a podcast, you are on the right path!
How much time are you willing to commit to starting and producing a podcast?
To help you answer this third question before starting a podcast, you’ll need to base it on your WHY & GOAL of the first two questions.
This process is all about honesty, so go deep on how much time you're willing to invest to fuel and achieve your WHY & GOAL.
Starting, launching, and producing a podcast is a large project to take on, and it covers many elements. It’s not just about recording an episode.
It’s about researching your topic, formulating questions for your guests, scheduling time to record your episodes, editing your episodes, creating marketing assets to promote your podcast, etc.
So, will you have the time to produce, manage and promote your podcast?
How much money are you willing to invest to start and produce your podcast?
Your GOAL and TIME will determine your answer to this important question.
It’s all about the step-by-step process.
To help you answer this vital question before starting your podcast. you want to factor in these elements:
Branding
Equipment & Software
Production & Post
Marketing
Let’s go deeper into these elements.
Will you need to work with a brand designer to create your podcast cover art?
How much are you willing to pay for your microphone and software to record and edit your podcast episodes?
To help you in your podcasting journey, I recommend taking advantage of my promo code ELLAS to get up to 2 months free of podcast hosting on Libsyn!
Do you not have the bandwidth to edit, schedule, and create marketing assets for your podcast episodes and need the assistance of working with a Podcast Manager?
Be realistic about your resources and how much you are willing to invest.
Do you have a support system for when you start & produce your podcast?
Answering this question is crucial!
This will provide consistency, growth & success to your podcast.
Do you have:
Family
Friends
Co-Host
Team
Podcast Manager (Ellas Media)
Fellow Podcasters
Does your family support you when it comes to not making noise when you’re recording your podcast episodes or understanding that you will need to invest your time in producing your podcast?
Do your friends support you in this new endeavor? Will they share the news about your podcast?
Does your podcast call for a co-host that can help you delegate the responsibilities of producing, managing, and growing a podcast?
Perhaps you need a Podcast Manager like myself to help you edit your episodes, create social assets and write your episode descriptions and show notes, so you can focus on recording your episodes.
Or do you have fellow podcasters that can provide you tips and advice about producing your podcast?
You don't have to start alone in your podcasting journey.
You can start your podcast with our Podcast Launch Worksheets or work with me to help you launch your podcast to give you peace of mind.