Starting a podcast creates an ongoing responsibility for the team. A useful decision begins with the audience you want to reach, the material you can contribute and the work required to publish consistently.
Identify a specific purpose
Write down what the show should help the business do. That could mean explaining a complex service, supporting an existing customer audience or introducing people to an offer.
Then list the questions the audience needs answered. If you cannot describe the listener or develop a useful set of topics, spend time on that before committing to production.
Plan the schedule and review period
Choose a recording and publishing schedule the team can support. As a planning example, six months of weekly episodes is about 26 episodes; fortnightly publishing is about 13. Twice a month is a different schedule and produces 12 episodes over six months.
These are planning examples. Your service agreement sets the contractual commitment. Agree when you will review the show and what evidence will inform that review rather than assuming a particular episode number guarantees traction.
Check the constraints before committing
Identify who will record, prepare and approve the episodes. If nobody has time to own those responsibilities, adding a production partner will still leave a gap.
Consider whether the team can discuss the proposed subjects appropriately in public. Also check whether a podcast is a suitable way to answer those questions, or whether another format would be easier for the audience to use.
Compare in-house work with production support
For in-house production, record the tasks involved in a sample episode and the time each one takes. Include editing, packaging, publishing, written material and reviewing results.
When considering a partner, compare a proposal against that same list. Look at who owns each task, what the review process requires from your team and how corrections are handled.
APodcastGeek clients supply the recording. Brand Builder covers strategy, production, publishing and ROI, including the full video and audio, a guest introduction, five captioned clips, three thumbnails, show notes, a blog article and an email newsletter.
The podcast-hosting subscription is paid separately by the client. Sending the newsletter and posting social assets need clear ownership in the publishing plan.
Make the decision with the team
- Can you describe the intended audience and the questions the show will answer?
- Do you have someone responsible for preparation, recording and approval?
- Is the proposed schedule realistic alongside other work?
- Have you identified the production and hosting costs?
- Can you track audience results and responses to your offer?
Use any unanswered points to define the work needed before launch. A small pilot can help you assess the format and production process, without treating its early results as a forecast of future performance.
Prepare for a production discussion
Bring the audience definition, topic ideas and an example recording if you have one. Discuss the responsibilities you want to keep and the work you want a partner to handle.
Explore our services or book a free podcast audit to discuss your show.
