Publishing a podcast has never been easier than it is today. As I have become an avid listener of podcasts and begin the process of publishing my own, I have identified 5 mistakes, in no particular order, a lot of podcast producers make.
Avoid these mistakes, and you will be able to reach more listeners.
1. Hosting the file on your web server
If you upload the podcast file directly to your web server where your website is hosted, you risk the following:
- Poor quality listening experience
- Very expensive charges if you exceed your allotted bandwidth
- Slowing down all the pages on your website
Action: Upload your file to a media hosting service such as:
- Libsyn.com (recommended for serious podcasters)
- Buzzsprout.com (recommended if you only want 3 episodes available at any one time)
- SoundCloud.com
2. Not publishing the file in .MP3 format
The most common file format that can be listened to on any device is .MP3. While you can edit the file on any computer in almost any audio file format, you will reach the most people by publishing the final file in .MP3 format. See my post on making your content Device Agnostic.
Action: Publish all podcast episodes in .MP3 file format.
3. Only publishing on iTunes
While iTunes is very popular, when it comes to mobile devices iTunes is only accessible on about half of the devices out there. In addition to iTunes, you should also publish your Podcast on Stitcher.com. It is also important to note that many new cars now come with Stitcher Radio built into the in-car entertainment system. This will only increase in the years to come. While I am sure iTunes will enter the automobile market with a strong showing, this only underscores the importance of publishing your podcast on both platforms. The same .MP3 file from #2 above can be published on both systems.
External links about podcast radio built into cars:
- GM to offer Stitcher SmartRadio on Chevy Cars
- Listening to Stitcher in your car has never been easier
- Stitcher Integrates With Mazda 3
- BMW introduces Stitcher Smart Radio application
Action: Publish your podcast to both iTunes and Stitcher.
4. Not providing a way to listen via your website
To broaden the reach of your podcast it is important to list your podcast episodes on your website. I have experienced sites, even prominent global brands, who do list the episodes of their podcast on their website. However, when clicking on the episode, it wants to either open iTunes or an RSS feed. If you have iTunes, you can easily listen to the podcast. However, this is the desktop mistake that is equivalent to the mobile mistake in #3 above. It may even be worse than mistake #3 since this audience is most likely less podcast savvy to know how to get around the publisher's mistake.
Note that this does not mean to host the file on your web server (see mistake #1 above). This involves embedding the podcast from the media host onto your site. The actual file is still on the media hosting companies servers.
Action: Make it possible for people to listen to the podcast directly from your website.
5. Not providing easy way to subscribe
A key to consistently reaching people via your podcast is to get them to subscribe. This allows them to be notified when a new podcast episode is available. This increases the amount of people who listen to each episode.
Action: Place buttons on your website that make it easy for people to subscribe to your podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, and even email. In the podcast itself, encourage listeners to subscribe so they can automatically receive future episodes of your podcast.
Original photo courtesy © istockphoto.com/ atic12