180 | How to Build a Podcast That Listeners Love This December

[00:00:00] With millions of podcasts out there, how do you stand out? In today's episode, we're uncovering the secrets to finding your unique voice, experimenting with fresh formats, and polishing your branding to shine brighter than ever.

[00:00:21] Sound matters. Be heard. Welcome to the podcast where you get exclusive behind-the-scenes tips to make your own show sound truly spectacular. This is Podtastic Audio.

[00:00:35] Hey, what's happening? How are you doing today? Thank you so much for being here. I am Chris and yeah, this is Podtastic Audio.

[00:00:45] You know, this show was designed and created to help you, you podcaster you, make an amazing show for your audience. And one amazing tool to help you make that happen is Riverside.fm.

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[00:02:00] We have officially made it to December 2024. And being that it is December time, happy holidays to you. Here we go. Countdown to Christmas, countdown to the end of the year.

[00:02:14] And, you know, where did this year even go? I thought it was 2020 or 21, like a few months ago. And here we are wrapping up 2024. Wow, that's kind of crazy.

[00:02:27] Being that it is the most wonderful time of the year, I hope you're feeling inspired and that you're ready to make your mark in the podcasting world.

[00:02:36] Today, we are talking all about something that is truly special. How to find your unique voice and stand out in the massive, and I mean massive sea of all the podcasts that are out there.

[00:02:52] But with all of those millions of podcasts that are out there, I know it can feel somewhat overwhelming to, you know, carve out your own unique space.

[00:03:04] I mean, there's only so many podcasts about movie reviews. There's so many podcasts about true crime. There's lots of podcasts about podcasting. Here we are.

[00:03:14] But here's the thing. There's only one you. That's right. With your perspective, your personality, and your own style are your podcasting superpowers.

[00:03:30] But hey, I get it. Sometimes we think that nobody's going to listen to me. Why am I special? I have nothing important to talk about.

[00:03:40] I'm not somebody famous. I didn't do anything crazy. I didn't go to the moon. I didn't star in this movie. I didn't, you know, play on this NBA team.

[00:03:49] I didn't play for this NFL team. I didn't do anything crazy. But despite all that, we'll cover how to uncover what makes you unique, how to experiment with formats, and how to polish your branding.

[00:04:05] Plus, I'll share some creative ideas to try this holiday season, which is now upon us.

[00:04:12] Okay, so first things first. You know, what makes you unique?

[00:04:18] I mean, everybody's different. Everybody's special. Everybody has a story.

[00:04:23] Hell, if you've been around the block as long as I have, or maybe even longer, you've got probably stories for days.

[00:04:30] You know, you think about your favorite podcast, the podcast that you listen to the most.

[00:04:37] When you see it pop up on your podcast player app and you say, hey, I got to listen to that one first.

[00:04:44] It's probably like top of the rotation.

[00:04:47] Now you think about that.

[00:04:49] What keeps you coming back?

[00:04:52] Chances are, it's not just the topic or the content, but it's probably a combination of that plus the host's unique voice and personality.

[00:05:04] So the question is, how do you tap into your own superpower?

[00:05:11] How do you figure out what people like about you?

[00:05:14] Now, a few things you can do is you can reflect on feedback.

[00:05:19] What do listeners love about your show?

[00:05:23] And I'm sure somewhere, somehow, whether it's social media or maybe a cool rating and review on Apple or Spotify,

[00:05:32] I'm sure somebody somewhere has said something positive about your podcast.

[00:05:37] Reflect on whatever they said about your podcast and really dive into that,

[00:05:42] because that is what your listeners love about your show.

[00:05:46] They're obviously telling you about it.

[00:05:48] Another thing is you also want to identify your passions.

[00:05:54] You know, what topics are you excited about?

[00:05:58] What makes you excited to talk about it?

[00:06:00] What are the shows that you think that like, man, I want to make an episode on that topic because I really enjoy that?

[00:06:08] Because if you really enjoy a certain topic, we can hear, we can tell whether or not you are like phoning it in and are not excited to do the show at all or versus a topic that you are super passionate about.

[00:06:24] We know when you're excited and you being excited about your content makes it exciting for us to actually listen.

[00:06:32] And another thing you can do to tap into your own personal superpower when it comes to podcasting is that you can lean into your own personality.

[00:06:42] Are you funny?

[00:06:43] Do you have a quirky humor?

[00:06:45] Are you very thoughtful?

[00:06:47] Are maybe you've got like these super bold opinions?

[00:06:50] Maybe you are a super funny person.

[00:06:54] Maybe you're a stand up comedian.

[00:06:55] I don't know.

[00:06:57] Whatever it is, focus on that and showcase it.

[00:07:01] That will help you discover your unique podcasting superpower because that is going to tie directly into you.

[00:07:09] And so when a listener hears your show, they know, oh, I'm listening to Joe and Joe is always super quirky funny.

[00:07:15] That's his thing.

[00:07:16] That's his whole show.

[00:07:17] And I love Joe because he talks about these things that I want to hear about and he says it in a very unique way.

[00:07:24] And that makes Joe's show unique.

[00:07:26] And that's why I love it.

[00:07:28] So perhaps take a moment and think.

[00:07:31] If someone described your podcast in like one sentence, what would they say?

[00:07:38] You know, I love to hear it.

[00:07:40] You know, let me know.

[00:07:41] I mean, what would they say about your podcast in one sentence?

[00:07:47] Okay.

[00:07:48] And the next thing you can do to help create your unique podcasting voice and stand out in that massive podcasting crowd out there.

[00:07:57] Is perhaps maybe you should be experimenting with different formats.

[00:08:03] I know it sounds crazy.

[00:08:04] Maybe you only like to do interviews and that's the only thing you've ever done your entire podcasting career.

[00:08:10] You've never done a solo show.

[00:08:12] You've never done like a group show.

[00:08:14] You've never done anything else but just interview people.

[00:08:17] Well, maybe, just maybe, you can change it up and try a little variety.

[00:08:23] Sometimes a little variety can keep your audience excited and coming back for more.

[00:08:29] You know, think of your podcast like a playlist.

[00:08:32] You want to keep it fresh and dynamic.

[00:08:35] Okay.

[00:08:36] So here are some examples of ways you can kind of change your format without changing your entire show.

[00:08:41] So perhaps maybe now we are in the holiday season.

[00:08:44] We're entering December.

[00:08:46] It's early December.

[00:08:47] Not quite Christmas yet.

[00:08:48] But if you possibly could do like a seasonal theme, you know, maybe holiday trivia or a holiday themed podcast.

[00:08:56] We used to do that on the Chris Christine show all the time, especially around the Christmas season or especially on the holidays.

[00:09:02] We did a Christmas episode.

[00:09:04] Maybe if you like doing guests, maybe you can do something like, you know, guest panels, you know, bring together multiple voices for a lively discussion versus that's, you know, basic one-on-one interview.

[00:09:18] Have, you know, few people together and talk about a single core content topic.

[00:09:24] Maybe, you know, another thing you can do is create a podcast miniseries.

[00:09:29] You know, it's like creating these short run episodes like that are hyper-focused on a single topic.

[00:09:37] I think the last time I went out of town or time before that, I created a three-part series, a podcast series on how to make amazing stories for your podcast.

[00:09:50] And I batch recorded those and they went out one, two, three in order.

[00:09:54] It was like part one, part two, part three, but you can do things however you want to do with it.

[00:09:59] And I know stepping outside your comfort zone can be a little scary, but don't be afraid.

[00:10:06] Don't worry.

[00:10:07] This will actually make your audience appreciate you and your creativity more.

[00:10:13] And so what happens is that they see you kind of like doing new things, not totally crazy things, not something completely off topic, but something a little different.

[00:10:24] It just spices things up a little bit.

[00:10:26] And if you're worried that if you do change it up a little too much, your audience might freak out and say, oh my goodness, I'm leaving this show.

[00:10:33] I want nothing to do with it.

[00:10:34] Well, you always can just ask them.

[00:10:37] You know, you can pull them on social media or do a poll or survey of any kind and ask them, hey, what would you like to do?

[00:10:44] What would we be thinking if I decided to change the show in this direction just for a few episodes?

[00:10:51] Would you listen to this or would you not?

[00:10:54] Things like that.

[00:10:55] Just ask them.

[00:10:56] Okay.

[00:10:57] And the third and final tip I have on how to create your unique podcast and stand out in a sea of many different podcasts out there is that you have a brand, your own brand with your own show.

[00:11:14] And what you can do is maybe tighten up some of your branding.

[00:11:18] Now, what does that even mean?

[00:11:20] Well, now that we are in the month of December and Christmas is right around the corner, you see that your podcast, you know, the cover art, the description, the intro music.

[00:11:34] Well, that is just like wrapping paper.

[00:11:37] They give new listeners their first glimpse of what's possibly inside.

[00:11:44] Have you ever pranked anybody on Christmas?

[00:11:47] You got this big, fancy, giant, like maybe it's an Amazon box, an old box.

[00:11:53] And then you put like a present inside that that's super, super small.

[00:11:58] And so you padded the thing, you wrapped it all up.

[00:12:01] So when somebody sees this big, massive like present for them under the tree, they're like, wow, what is this big, massive thing?

[00:12:08] And they open it up just to find out there's this tiny little box inside.

[00:12:12] That's always fun.

[00:12:15] But podcast branding should obviously be the first impression that the new listener sees when they see your show.

[00:12:24] Now, when they're looking on any podcast app or any directory or anything altogether, maybe even website, you want to make sure it all kind of blends together.

[00:12:33] It delivers what you're going to be talking about.

[00:12:36] It looks fantastic.

[00:12:37] And of course, you know, your show sounds fantastic.

[00:12:40] Your voice sounds great.

[00:12:42] You got a decent mic.

[00:12:43] Everything sounds clean and clear.

[00:12:45] It all looks great.

[00:12:47] That is all about the branding.

[00:12:49] And you never can take back a first impression.

[00:12:53] You only get one shot at that.

[00:12:54] So make sure you don't screw that up.

[00:12:56] Now, when it comes to creating a good brand for your show, some things to really consider are clear eye-catching cover art that reflects your podcast vibe, a descriptive yet concise podcast bio.

[00:13:14] You know, you want to tell people why they need to listen.

[00:13:18] It's not so much that my name is Chris and I did this and I did that and I did this and I me, me, me, me.

[00:13:25] No.

[00:13:26] The most important thing about podcasting is that you are making the show directly for your audience.

[00:13:32] You want to give them a reason to listen.

[00:13:35] And you bragging about how amazing you are, it has nothing to do with them.

[00:13:40] What do they care?

[00:13:41] They want to know what your podcast is going to help them do.

[00:13:45] And if it means merely having a good time, making them laugh and giving them some kind of entertainment, then that's what it is.

[00:13:54] Then you need to say that in the bio.

[00:13:56] This podcast is for you so you can be entertained or you can learn something.

[00:14:00] But when you refresh your branding, like don't get too crazy.

[00:14:04] Don't make it completely different, like totally different show altogether.

[00:14:07] You know, keep it a little different.

[00:14:10] You should still have like the same tone and style across all your episodes and all your marketing.

[00:14:17] And, you know, if you do decide to refresh your branding periodically to keep it, you know, maybe relevant and exciting.

[00:14:25] Think of it as possibly getting a new outfit.

[00:14:28] That's something a little different than the things you usually wear.

[00:14:32] Maybe it's wintertime.

[00:14:33] You're wearing something a little heavier.

[00:14:34] Maybe it's summertime.

[00:14:35] Maybe you're wearing something a little lighter.

[00:14:36] Well, it is wintertime right now, but you get what I'm saying.

[00:14:38] So for this podcast right here, Podtastic Audio, probably for the last maybe year or even longer, I can't remember when I started doing this.

[00:14:49] I decided to actually change up the individual episode artwork for each episode I do.

[00:14:56] But I do it in kind of a unique way that still has the original podcast, like actual show artwork still on the individual artwork.

[00:15:08] But each episode's individual artwork is slightly different than the other one.

[00:15:14] I have an app that I use.

[00:15:16] I actually have like two different apps that I use on my phone.

[00:15:19] It's all done entirely on my iPhone.

[00:15:22] And I probably can do something like that in Canva.

[00:15:25] In fact, I've tinkered around with it in Canva a little bit.

[00:15:28] But I just like the way I can do things on this app.

[00:15:31] I've gotten well used to using for both shows, this show and the Chris and Christine show.

[00:15:37] I would actually change the artwork up for each episode.

[00:15:41] Splash in some color.

[00:15:43] Splash in a few different things.

[00:15:45] Maybe use a different font.

[00:15:46] Of course, the actual name of the episode and what's in the episode, the content that's in the episode or the guest that's in the episode is written there in font right there on the logo.

[00:15:59] And it just kind of changes the brand up a little bit for this podcast.

[00:16:04] Yet the podcast is still the same.

[00:16:06] But each episode, I mean, obviously is different than the last episode.

[00:16:10] So I want to make sure that it all kind of comes together in a single package that when you see the logo and you see the artwork for this one episode, it all matches up perfectly.

[00:16:23] So if you're trying to get your podcast to stand out in that massive sea of all those other podcasts out there.

[00:16:31] Well, remember that standing out starts with being unapologetically yourself.

[00:16:40] Lean into what makes you unique.

[00:16:42] You know, try new things and make sure your branding reflects the amazing show that you are creating.

[00:16:51] So what is it?

[00:16:53] What makes your podcast stand out?

[00:16:56] You know, what makes your show uniquely you?

[00:17:00] You know, share it with me online.

[00:17:02] You always can reach out to me on my website at podcasticaudio.com.

[00:17:07] You can send a voice note there.

[00:17:09] You can send an email there.

[00:17:11] And all of my social media links are right there at podcasticaudio.com.

[00:17:17] And until next time, happy podcasting.