15 Podcast Best Practices For 2024 - Free Checklist

With more than 3.2 million podcasts in the world, the podcasting landscape is vast and competitive, hence, the need for podcast best practices to put you ahead of the curve. But, not just any podcast practices.

In this guide, you'll learn 15 tried-and-true podcast best practices that'll maximize your time, effort, and result, and also increase the scalability, reach, and listenership of your podcast.

P.S. We've put these best practices into a downloadable checklist that you can download to check the boxes.

Let's get started.

Why do you need podcast best practices?

Writing your scripts and recording your audio may be an art but getting your podcast name out there is a science. There are exact steps that should be followed. But before we delve into these steps, here are reasons why you need podcast best practices;

• There are more than 3.2 million podcasts in the world.
• There are around 150 million podcast episodes.
• The number of podcast listeners is expected to reach 504.9 million in 2024

With these stats about the depth of the podcasting landscape, can audiences find your podcast without you investing in podcast best practices? Maybe, maybe not.

But, you started your podcast because you've unique messages to share in a unique way and for unique audiences - however, without podcast best practices, your message might never reach your audiences.

Benefits of podcast best practices

Here are some benefits of following podcast best practices in your podcasting journey.

• Maximize efficiency: With tried-and-true podcast best practices in the palm of your hands, you can easily create content that works which can maximize your time, effort, and outputs.
• Increase discoverability: As we mentioned about how big the podcasting world is, with actionable podcast best practices (like the ones in this guide), you can easily increase your podcast reach and discoverability.
• Enhanced content quality: You can simply create content that your audiences want to listen to, increasing your podcast authority, expertise, and relevance in your niche.

15 best podcast practices for 2024

This list isn't formulated in any specific order but we recommend you work your way down from the top to get the most from it.

1 - Identifying and understanding your audiences

Everything starts with your audiences and that's the same with podcasting. Without proper planning, you can record the best audio but for the wrong audiences resulting in wasted efforts. To avoid this, plan out your ideal listeners and potential ones from your shoulder niches.

For example, at Podsqueeze, our ideal audiences are podcasters but our potential audiences from shoulder niches range from content creators to streamers, YouTubers, etc. With that, we can craft compelling content tailored for each category of audiences;

• How to make YouTube short videos (for YouTubers)
• How to repurpose podcast content (for podcasters)

That way, we can create content that our audiences like and fit their need. Identify your audiences to understand their needs and create content that fits those needs.

2 - Build a podcast marketing strategy

A proper podcast marketing strategy ensures you're not doing the spaghetti approach like other podcasters do - where you throw a bunch of spaghetti at the wall hoping something sticks. Instead, with a proper podcast marketing strategy, every bit of your content aligns with your ultimate podcast goal.

That means you're not just experimenting with content blindly, but you have a definite goal and every piece of your content is geared towards that goal. So, what's your podcasting goal?

For some, it could be selling a product or building an audience base, while some podcasters focus on earning (sponsorship). Either way, find and document your podcast goal and align your podcast marketing strategy toward accomplishing that goal.

Check out this episode from our podcast "Lessons from a Podcaster", where we chat with Josh Wilson, a seasoned podcast coach, who explores the concept of how a podcast must serve a practical purpose even before it begins to accumulate fans or an audience.

For instance, a successful podcast can simply be a tool that supports a business. How? Well, for example, by enabling a business to connect with new leads by inviting them as guests on the show.

Also, read; 10 podcast marketing strategies for 2024.

3 - Form a world-class podcasting team

When you look at the topmost listened podcast episodes and other top podcasters, one feature they've in common is there's a world-class team behind them. Having a world-class team could potentially increase your show's reach, discoverability, listenership, and quality content. But, not every podcaster has the budget to hire or maintain a team.

However, there's a fix for that. With the breakthrough in AI, you can easily replace the work of a full-on podcasting team in a matter of minutes. An AI tool that can tick the boxes is Podsqueeze - an AI-powered tool to streamline and simplify your podcast content creation.

With a world-class podcasting team or AI doing the work of a team, you can substantially edge over the competition while ensuring consistent output, streamlined workflow, and quality content at the same time.

4 - Audit your (best performing) existing content

If you start every new episode from scratch, you could be leaving behind quality content from your existing content library. Many episodes from your existing library could be a heap of new episodes or serve as inspirations for new ones. You just have to take a look and audit them.

For example, if your best-performing episode is 10 minutes long, you can make it into a 40-minute-long episode or turn a 40-minute-long best-performing episode into two short 20-minute episodes.

5 - Identify missed content gaps

You'll probably notice that while auditing your existing content, there are some topics you missed or those you only covered halfway. The missed content could be what your audiences crave. Also, finding content gaps isn't only limited to your existing library alone, your competitors' content library might be a great source to identify content gaps.

These questions will help you find missed content gaps;

• Are there specific topics or aspects within your existing library that you haven't covered yet?
• Have you delved into competitor content to identify areas they've covered that you might have missed?
• Are there common questions your audience asks that you haven't addressed comprehensively?
• Have you explored emerging trends or recent developments in your industry that might be overlooked?

6 - Create evergreen content

As good as in-the-moment content may seem and the large number of listeners they bring, they only last for a while. Evergreen content on the other hand may only bring a sizable number of listeners but the listenership is consistent and they last very long.

For example, one of our in-the-moment content is “Podcasting trend for 2024” and as good as the article may seem, it only focuses on 2024 and not beyond that. But an article like “Podcast SEO best practices” is an evergreen one that'll last long for years beyond 2024.

Same way, as you focus on in-the-moment and trendy episodes for your podcast, mix it up with evergreen content that'll last for much longer. Some evergreen content ideas are the how-tos.

For example, if your podcast is about Entrepreneurship, your evergreen content could be the how-tos of entrepreneurship.

• How to build a solid online presence
• How to create an effective business plan
• How to create and execute effective marketing plans, etc

These evergreen contents may only bring in a small number of listeners at first, but those numbers are consistent and will last longer (sometimes years).

7 - Repurpose your content

Your podcast is more than just a recorded audio or video, it's a big powerhouse of media resources that can be repurposed in dozens of ways. For example, here are a few ways to repurpose a podcast episode;

• Generate transcription of your podcast and publish it as a blog post
• Create graphics of quote images from your episode for sharing on any social platform
• Find tweetable snippets from your podcast for sharing on X (Twitter)
• Turn your audio podcast into audiograms for sharing as videos on social platforms
• Find captivating highlights from your video podcast and turn them into shorts for sharing as short videos or reels on social media
• Highlight key takeaways and generate bullet points for publishing as a blog post
• Turn a podcast episode into a webinar
• Make an email series or newsletter about the lessons learned from your podcast
• Create a roundup blog post highlighting your best podcast episodes
• Make a Twitter thread highlighting your best podcast episodes
• Highlight quotes and key takeaways from your podcast for sharing on forums like Quora and Reddit
• Highlight key takeaways from your podcast in a slideshow or slide deck and offer them as downloadable resources for capturing emails

Want to learn how to make and promote your repurposed podcast content? We've got you covered - How to repurpose and promote a podcast on social media.

8 - Content personalization

While some podcasters are using AI-generated voice and digital copies of their voice to make their podcast, nothing beats speaking naturally to your mic and having your audience hear the sound of a human voice they can connect with.

Here's how to make that human connection sing:

• Don't speak to a crowd, speak as if you're speaking to a single audience
• Be less professional with your voice, and use a more conversational tone
• Incorporate your listeners' feedback and give them shout-outs in episodes
• Occasionally share updates about your life, personal stories, the project you're working on, your goals, current events, etc to spark a burning connection with your audiences
• Consider adding ambient sound or background effects (for video-podcast) to lighten the atmosphere
• Occasionally break away from scripts to create moments of spontaneity
• Connect with your listeners through social media - create polls on X (Twitter) or Q&A on Instagram and talk about it on your show.

Don't be afraid to try approaches that make you relatable to your audiences. The more you connect with your audiences, the more they become loyal fans and this can help you build more than just audiences but also a community.

9 - Strategic content promotion

From the get-go – not later – you need to get specific on your podcast promotion strategies. Why? Because there are over 3.2 million podcasts in the world and everyone is competing for attention, hence, you need to be strategic in how you promote your show to potential listeners.

Here are some ways to promote your podcast;

• Create podcast clips for promotion on YouTube
• Podcast landing page to attract new listeners on search engines
• Repurposing your episodes as quote images for sharing on social media
• Paid promotion for your podcast on Facebook or other social media
• Podcast SEO: Incorporating relevant keywords in your description, show notes, transcriptions, chapters & titles, etc
• Turning your audio-only podcast into audiograms for sharing as video clips on social media
• Incorporating AI for streamlining your workflow for consistent and quality podcast content creation

P.S. Our AI-powered podcast content creation tool can help you optimize your podcast content creation and generate all the media resources needed for your podcast promotion.

10 - Diversify your guest niche

The biggest chunk of your listeners is between the ages of 12 - 34 (unless you serve an older audience demographic), which means you've got an audience base of both Gen Z and millennials. To effectively cater to the interests of these two different audience groups, invest in diversifying your content by bringing guests from both audience groups.

Also, you want to diversify the niches from which you invite your guests. For example, if your podcast is for “healthy living,” you don't have to feature guests who are only health specialists. By diversifying your guest's niches, you can feature guests like nutritionists, professional athletes, lifestyle and wellness coaches, health bloggers, fitness coaches, and others who are not full-on doctors but are experienced in healthy living.

With that, you can potentially increase the reach and discoverability of your show because fans and followers of these guests would be interested to listen or watch what they're saying on your podcast.

11 - Create value-driven content

To make substantial progress as a podcaster, you need more than just an idea and tools to start a podcast, you need to create top-notch content. Great content is the foundation which everything is built upon.

With a never-ending to-do list, podcasters often find themselves in a rut of publish, publish, publish which can severely impact the quality of your content. To get out of this rut, it's important to sometimes take a step back and re-access your whole workflow.

Here are some questions to make this easier;

• What core values or principles do I want my podcast to embody? Am I following these values?
• Am I consistently delivering content that aligns with the interests of my audience?
• Is the overall tone and style of my podcast resonating with my target audiences?
• Am I staying updated on industry trends and adapting my content accordingly?
• Does my content cater to the different perspectives of my audiences or am I blindly publishing episodes?

Don't be afraid to add any other relevant questions that can help you maintain a safe trajectory to help you create better and quality content.

12 - Create repeatable templates

As a podcaster with many published episodes, you don't have to start new episodes from scratch. When you experiment with something and it works, scale it.

For example, if you make any episode that outperforms others (maybe in downloads, shares, minutes listened, etc), dig into the process you underwent in creating the episode, find any elements or similarities that made that episode a success, and scale it.

That way, your new episodes will perform better and your creation process will be easier;

• Are there any episodes that suddenly went viral?
• Were there influential guests or collaborations that contributed to its success?
• Were there strategic promotions or marketing efforts that played a role?
• Were there unique storytelling techniques or formats that captured attention?
• Is there any specific element you can pinpoint that makes your episode a box-office hit?

Pay attention to answering these questions to pinpoint some scalable elements from your popular episodes and repeat those findings in your new episodes.

13 - Get ahead of industry trends

The podcast landscape is evolving and its always-changing nature means podcasters need to be up-to-date on podcast trends to stay and remain relevant in the long term. In this industry, what works yesterday might not work today and it's important to not be left operating with outdated tactics and old steps.

By staying updated on industry trends, you won't only know what's working right now but also you'll be some steps ahead of competitors and be on top of the shift. For example, do you know that one promotional method for podcasters we anticipate experiencing significant growth in 2024 is podcast swaps?

Check out our 2024 podcast trends to learn more.

14 - Experiment with different types of content & platforms

Podcasting is not only where you share ideas but also a learning playground for you. Experiment with new things, try out new stuff, get on a new channel, and try a new content format.

Even if it doesn't work, it's still a learning experience and when it works, you can double down on it and potentially increase the discoverability and reach of your podcast. Sometimes, platforms, channels, tactics, or strategies you think will not work might be what your show needs to become popular.

Don't be conservative in trying out new things, you just have to adapt your content to the new platforms, the channels you're experimenting with, and the new tactics you're trying.

Here are some channels you might want to experiment with;

• Medium
• Reddit
• Quora
• Email
• TitTok
• Instagram
• Paid advertising
• Linkedin
• Videos
• and Audiogram

15 - Befriend your analytics

With the details of how your content performs, analytics gives you a glimpse of what to focus on and what your audiences like. For example, you can know where audiences stop listening in your episode and make that section better in your next episode.

Analytics can also tell you the channel that brings the most audiences so you can double down on promoting your content on that platform and other analytical touchdowns to make your next podcast episode better.

Every podcast host has built-in analytics that can let you know some details about your podcast but if you want to dig deeper into this, here are some options;

Podtrac

Chartable

Podcast best practices checklist

We've come a long way on this list of podcast best practices. To make things easier, we've compiled these practices into short snippets for you. Download checklist here without any sign-up or email required.

Streamline your podcast creation with Podsqueeze

Whether you're a podcaster with a decade of experience or you're just getting started, Podsqueeze has all you need to streamline your podcast creation process. From transcription to generating short clips for your podcast for sharing on social media, Podsqueeze is what you need.

Get started for free now. By creating a free account, you can access a whole range of resources needed to streamline your creation process and podcast marketing.