How to Start a Podcast for Your Business

A year ago, I had the opportunity to produce and host a podcast for my dream client, the U.S. Navy’s Leadership and Ethics Center. We launched strong with 35,000 views and downloads in the first week. Here are seven things you can do to launch a podcast that will transform your company into a media messenger and attract the right customers.

1. Commit to interviews. Podcasts do not trend well on hashtags and search results. If you are starting out in the podcast space no one is looking for you and you will go unnoticed. Interviews allow you to include guests who already have a following. This is why I insisted that the Navy podcast be interview based. Just make sure you get the right guests (more on this in step 3).

2. Pick books that align with your business’s values. For the Navy podcast, this step was taken care of. The U.S. Navy Reading Program lists 150 books that align with the values and initiatives of the Navy. This made it very easy to point to popular media (books) that were aligned with our values and to discuss them in the podcast. The best way to start that discussion is explained in the next step.

3. Invite relevant authors to be your guest. If there is a book that your company loves, who’s the best person to discuss it? The person who literally wrote the book on it! Tell this author that they are featured in your company reading list. Invite them to go deep on their ideas. They will be honored.

4. Prepare thoroughly. Your job is to honor your guest and create an interview that an audience will enjoy. Wanna do the opposite? Just ask generic questions like, “So, what’s your story?” This will show the guest that you are unprepared, they will go into their usual talking points, and the audience will be bored. Instead, break the guest from their usual talking points with nuanced questions aimed at matching their expertise with your audience’s needs.

5. Do the interview. Be early. Be energized. Make the event high quality. Your guest should feel honored from start to finish. If it is in person, make sure they are comfortable and accommodated. When it is over, ask them to sign a media release. If you hit it off, ask for a mailing address and send them a thank you note.

6. Hint at what is yet to come. When a few episodes are complete, start generating some buzz. Use whatever channels are appropriate for your company. For example, if you have video of your interviews and a company YouTube channel, drop several clips and a trailer for the show. If you distribute an email newsletter, embed the trailer video in your newsletter.

7. Launch. It is best to release several episodes in a short period of time. Ask your guests to share their episode with their audience. Ask your friends and colleagues to check out the show and leave a review on Apple podcasts. Share the actual episodes through the same channels you used to to generate excitement in the last step. If it’s on YouTube, respond to the comments and get to know your viewers.

For a complete example, check out the first episode we did.

BONUS: There is no substitute for outstanding guests. I owe the success of every episode to the people who generously participated.