8 LAUNCH MISTAKES TO AVOID

After all the blood, sweat and tears involved in setting up a new podcast, why blow it at the last minute? Here are the eight mistakes you should avoid on launch day, according to Matty Staudt, the founder and president of podcast consulting and production company Jam Street Media, writing in the Podcast Business Journal:

1 Not picking the right RSS feed provider: Check where the feed will automatically send your shows, find out if they are Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) compliant, if they do dynamic insertion if you want to sell ads, and what other features they offer like embedded players and websites.

2 Starting your feed without a trailer: Before you launch your first episode, make sure your show is on the major players like iHeart, Spotify, iTunes, and Stitcher and perhaps on Castbox, Overcast, Luminary, etc. It may take a few days for your feed to show up on those platforms, so start with a trailer. When that shows up, you’re ready to go.

3 Bad cover art: This is the first impression a potential listener gets. Bad cover art can turn them off before they listen. Make sure it’s easy to see on a phone.

4 Poor show descriptions and liner notes: These are the key to SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Many listeners find podcasts via Google search. Make sure your show description and notes are SEO-friendly.

5 No marketing or budget strategy.

6 Publishing the first podcast episode you produce: Great podcast production is an art. Produce a few shows to learn and go back and revise the first one so it’s the best you can offer. You only get one chance to grab a new listener.

7 Not getting good feedback: In radio, there are things called “airchecks”. That is when colleagues listen to your show and give you honest feedback. Find colleagues who will be honest and tell you what they think.

8 In radio, there are things called “airchecks” when colleagues give you honest feedback. Find colleagues who will be honest and tell you what they think.