Im a big fan of podcasting (listen to mine here). The Center for Campaign Innovations 2020 post-election survey found that 17% of campaign donors listen to podcasts weekly. Podcasts are an easy to create content type that any campaign can produce. As an added benefit, they give you something to promote on social media and in email.
The most important part of successful podcasting is following a consistent schedule. Lets look at what you need to get started.
Equipment
You can start recording with just your iPhone, but if youre looking for some gear, check out our equipment guide here, which recommends the Blue Yeti USB microphone. Dont get hung up on equipment. You can always start cheap and invest more later. The key is starting!
Recording
I use Zencastr to record all of my podcast audio, including solo scripts and remote interviews. For a low monthly subscription youll get studio quality audio and instant post-production mixing to make your podcast sound professional.
Transcribing
Transcribing your podcast audio is key for repurposing it as a blog post or email. Otter.ai is affordable and creates highly-accurate transcripts of your recordings. Youll still need to do a little work cleaning it up but this will get you 90% of the way there in just a few minutes.
Hosting
Youll need to host the audio files for your podcast with a service like Buzzsprout. This will also help you with listing your podcast on directories like Google Play, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. I love checking my Buzzsprout stats each week.
Promoting
As with all of the content you create, distribution is where youll need to work the hardest. Promote the podcast on social media, your website, and to your email list with every new episode. Make sure the episode itself includes a subscribe wherever you listen call to action so you get repeat listeners. Having guests with their own social media followings also help spread episodes to new audiences.
Its easier than ever to record, host, and share your own podcast. For campaigns that want to get started with podcasting, the key is to establish a clear theme, adhere to a format, and follow a clear schedule.