February 12, 2024

How to Start a Podcast with No Audience in 2024: Building Your Listener Base from Scratch

Starting a podcast can be daunting but with perseverance and strategic techniques, you can grow your audience and achieve your podcasting dreams. Today we’ll go through how to do so.

Photo of theater with empty seats and text saying How to Start a Podcast with No Audience
Photo by Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash

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Written by
Filipe Pessoa

Marketing & Sociology. Gamer and music producer.
LinkedIn

Table of contents

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All big podcasts have to start somewhere. It is easy to get discouraged when starting - views in the single digits, no comments, no engagement. It’s rough. But you know what? It’s possible and everyone that has started their own podcast has had to go through the grind and apply what I will be showing you today. Tools like Framedrop make growing your audience way easier by repurposing your podcasts for short-format videos but not everyone is on this secret weapon yet. We all want to have that millionaire Spotify deal like Joe Rogan one day so here’s how you can get those numbers up.

How to Start a Podcast with No Audience

If you’re looking to start a podcast with no audience here’s how:

Plan:

  1. Select a niche that excites you and appeals to a specific audience;
  2. Define your ideal listener persona to tailor content and tone effectively;
  3. Choose a catchy podcast title that reflects your niche and is memorable;
  4. Establish a visual identity with a logo that aligns with your podcast's theme;
  5. Pick a reliable podcast hosting platform.

Content:

  1. Know your audience's interests, pain points, and preferences;
  2. Create compelling titles that accurately represent your episode's content;
  3. Use engaging storytelling techniques to captivate listeners;
  4. Maintain a consistent release schedule to build anticipation and loyalty;
  5. Always take feedback seriously and analyze how you can refine your podcast.

Share:

  1. Start by sharing your podcast with friends and family for initial support.
  2. Encourage listeners to share episodes on social media and with their networks.
  3. Invite guests with their own following to expand your reach.
  4. Guest on other podcasts within your niche to reach new audiences and establish authority.
  5. Repurpose your content on social media with tools like Framedrop

Keep reading if you want more details about each of the steps and some bonus ones as well.

Planning Your Podcast

Getting started on your podcast is scary enough - improvising as you go is many times not a feasible option. Planning how you will go about it is key to giving you peace of mind and a robust structure. Having a plan won’t only help you when coming up with the content but it will also help you more effectively engage with your audience and leverage all platforms to your advantage. In this section, we'll guide you through the most important steps of podcast planning:

1. Select Your Niche

Selecting a niche is like choosing the genre for your podcast. What topic or subject matter excites you the most? Maybe it's true crime, maybe it's tech. Narrowing down your focus will make your podcast more appealing to a specific audience.

2. Define Your Audience Persona

Imagine your ideal listener – who are they, what interests them, and how do they speak? Creating an ideal listener persona helps tailor your content and tone to resonate with your target audience. Understanding your audience's preferences is key to shaping the format and style of your podcast.

3. Choose a Catchy Podcast Title

Choosing the right name is crucial for your podcast's identity. Consider using name generators to spark ideas, but always keep your ideal listener in mind. Aim for a name that's memorable, reflects your niche, and is easy to pronounce – making it more likely for your audience to recall and recommend.

4. Establish a Visual Identity

While comprehensive branding can come later, start by creating a logo that represents your podcast visually. A distinctive logo can enhance recognition. Don’t break the bank here - be creative and simple about it. Think about colors, fonts, and images that align with your podcast's theme and resonate with your ideal listener.

5. Pick Your Podcast Platform Host

Choose a reliable podcast hosting service to store and distribute your episodes. Popular platforms like Spotify for Podcasters, Libsyn, Podbean, or Anchor offer user-friendly interfaces and various plans to suit your needs. Your hosting service is your podcast's home, so choose wisely.

6. Brainstorm Content Ideas

Before hitting the record button, brainstorm a variety of episode ideas. Consider different formats – interviews, solo episodes, roundtable discussions – based on what resonates best with your ideal listener. Planning your content in advance ensures a consistent and engaging listening experience.

7. Equipment Basics

You can start a podcast for free and still make high quality content but there usually are benefits to investing in the right equipment. Start with the essentials: a reliable microphone, headphones, and recording software.

By going through these steps you will notice that it will be clearer to you what the direction of the podcast should be. Feel free to make some adaptations as you go such as rebrandings, improvements in equipment or even changing hosting platforms. Once all of it is setup, it’s time to tackle the content.

Turn your podcast episodes to short-form videos with AI

Repurpose your podcast episodes and make them ready for TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels in minutes

Get started today!

Creating Killer Episodes (The Secret Is in the Value)

Now that you've set up the groundwork for your podcast, it's time to dive into the heart of the matter - creating amazing episodes that captivate and resonate with your audience. Here are some essential tips to ensure your podcast episodes stand out and leave a lasting impression.

1. Know Your Audience:

Having an audience persona helps but organic audiences can and often do differ from expectations. Before hitting the record button, understand who your audience really is. What are their interests, pain points, and preferences? Tailor your content to resonate with them, addressing topics that matter to your listeners. Engage with your audience through social media, YouTube’s comments section, emails - get to know them.

Photo of whiteboard with the word audience written on it with arrows pointing at it and overlaid text saying Your Audience Is Your Guiding Light
Photo by Melanie Deziel on Unsplash

2. Compelling Titles:

Create episode titles that grab attention and clearly convey the value your episode offers. Keep your titles concise, intriguing, and relevant to the episode's content. Think of your title as the first impression—it should entice potential listeners to hit play. Be careful though, clickbait is good to get traffic but in order to retain viewers it is important to deliver on expectations.

3. Well-Structured Content:

Organize your content in a logical and easy-to-follow structure. Begin with a captivating introduction, followed by the main content, and conclude with a strong closing. Consider creating an outline to keep your thoughts organized and ensure a smooth flow throughout the episode. Podcast hosts will often have notes so that if the conversation flows in one direction they can easily expand on the topic or return to where it started.

4. Engaging Storytelling:

Storytelling is a powerful tool in podcasting. Personal experiences, case studies, or expert interviews - these all weave a narrative that captivates audiences. Inject emotion, humor, or suspense where appropriate to keep listeners hooked from start to finish.

5. Consistent Release Schedule:

Consistency is key in building a dedicated audience. Establish a regular release schedule that works for you and stick to it. Whether it's weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, a predictable release pattern helps build anticipation and loyalty among your listeners.

6. Interact With Your Audience:

Encourage listener engagement by incorporating interactive elements. Ask your audience questions and feature their replies in your episodes, react to community polls, have them vote for future guests. This will make your viewers feel like they are part of the show and give you valuable insights on their preferences.

7. Compelling Audio and Visuals:

Having an awesome looking set, designing eye-catching cover art that reflects the essence of your podcast or even just dressing nicely can make a huge difference. Visual appeal matters in attracting potential listeners. Consistent branding across your podcast episodes enhances recognizability and professionalism. Same goes for audio - aim for a good mic and try to treat your room. If that is out of your budget try to at least process your audio so you can remove any background noise or fatiguing frequencies that might bother your viewers.

8. Seek Feedback and Iterate:

Take in all the feedback from your audience and fellow podcasters. Constructive criticism is one of the most valuable tools for improvement. Regularly assess what works well and what can be refined, and be open to evolving your content based on audience preferences.

Once you’ve internalized these steps you can focus directly on your audience. How?

Growing Your Audience

Building a dedicated listener base may seem challenging, especially when you're just starting with no existing audience. However, with the right strategies and consistent efforts, you can steadily expand your podcast's reach and make an impact in your niche.

1. Tell Friends and Family

Begin your audience-building journey by tapping into your personal network. Your friends and family can be your initial supporters and advocates. Share the excitement about your podcast with them, and don't hesitate to ask for their feedback. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and your close connections can help kickstart your podcast's growth.

2. Make a Trailer and Do Trailer/Promo Swaps

Make a captivating podcast trailer that introduces potential listeners to the essence of your show. Additionally, explore the world of podcasting collaborations through trailer swaps. Partner with other podcasters in your niche to exchange trailers. This cross-promotion can expose your podcast to a wider audience and create valuable networking opportunities.

3. Ask Listeners to Share

Encourage your existing listeners to become advocates for your podcast. Request them to share your episodes on their social media platforms, with friends, and in relevant online communities. Once again, word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied listeners can significantly contribute to your podcast's organic growth.

4. Invite Guests Who Will Bring an Audience

Strategically choose guests for your podcast who have a substantial following. Hosting individuals with their own dedicated fan base can introduce your podcast to a new audience. Collaborate with influencers, experts, or well-known figures in your niche to leverage their existing followers.

5. Guest on Other Podcasts

Expand your reach by appearing as a guest on other podcasts within your niche. This not only exposes your podcast to a broader audience but also establishes you as an authority in your field. Be prepared to share valuable insights and engage with the host's audience effectively. Meeting new people is also always good fun so take all the opportunities that seem good for your podcast.

6. Reach out to Newsletters and Influencers

Take your promotional efforts beyond the podcasting realm. Contact influencers and newsletter editors in your niche and pitch your podcast. Collaborating with these external platforms can amplify your reach and attract a diverse audience interested in your content.

7. Use Podcast SEO

Optimize your podcast titles and descriptions for search engines. Implementing effective podcast SEO techniques enhances the discoverability of your episodes. Craft compelling titles, include relevant keywords, and provide detailed descriptions to attract both new and returning listeners.

8. Repurpose Your Content

Repurposing your podcast content can be a great way of reaching new audiences on different platforms. You can turn your podcast into several TikToks, Shorts or Reels through AI with Framedrop and get access to a huge number of potential viewers that would never know about your content otherwise. 

Follow these steps consistently, and you'll witness a gradual but steady growth in your podcast audience. Building a loyal following takes time, so stay persistent and enjoy the journey!

Final Thoughts

Starting a podcast takes commitment and passion. It won’t be easy and most podcasts with thousands of listeners today had to grind their way to success. That being said, seeing the numbers go up is a deeply rewarding experience and podcasting can be a unique way to connect with new people about topics you are passionate about.

By planning ahead of time, delivering good content, engaging your audience and reaching new ones, slowly but surely you will start to see your podcast grow - and then you’ll be hooked.

If you want to fasten up that process start repurposing your content and sharing its best moments on social media from day 1 with Framedrop.

Turn your podcast episodes to short-form videos with AI

Repurpose your podcast episodes and make them ready for TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels in minutes

Get started today!

FAQ

How do I start a podcast with no guests?
+

To start a podcast with no guests, focus on creating engaging solo content. Choose topics you're passionate about, maintain a consistent schedule, and be mindful of your audio quality. Your unique perspective can attract listeners even without guests and depending on the format and genre of your podcast this can be the ideal way.

Can you start a podcast as a nobody?
+

Absolutely, you can start a podcast as a nobody. Many successful podcasters began with no prior fame. The key is to be authentic, provide valuable content, and gradually build your audience over time through consistent and quality episodes. In order to reach new potential viewers you can also leverage social media. Tools like Framedrop automatically collect the best moments of your podcasts through AI and let you easily edit and share them directly to all social media platforms.

How do I start a successful podcast from nothing?
+

To start a successful podcast from nothing, define your niche, plan your content, invest in decent equipment, and create eye-catching cover art. Consistency is crucial; release episodes regularly, engage with your audience, and consider networking with other podcasters to cross-promote and grow your show. Lastly, use social media to your advantage by using tools like Framedrop to get AI highlights from your podcast into the main platforms in minutes.

How do I promote a podcast with no audience?
+

To promote a podcast with no audience, leverage social media platforms by using tools like Framedrop, join relevant online communities, and reach out to friends and family for initial support. Consistently share teaser clips, engage with listeners' feedback, and consider collaborations to increase visibility and attract a broader audience.

Published at
February 12, 2024
Filipe Pessoa

Having a bachelor's degree in Sociology and currently getting his Masters' in Marketing, Filipe has always followed a customer-centric ethos. In 2021, Filipe was part of one of the 3 European Innovation Academy winning projects - CultureKit - as its CMO. Since joining Framedrop in August 2022, Filipe has worked on a wide array of tasks such as Copywriting, Lead Generation, Influencer Marketing and even dipped his toes in SEO.

When not working, Filipe channels his creativity into music production in his home studio.

Favorite sport: Football ⚽️

Favorite hobby: Gaming 🎮

Favorite musical artist: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 🎸

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