There are many ways your team can add value to your space and evolve past your coworking walls. Creating content and engaging with others around the world can truly help expand your brand.
Podcasts are a way to extend the legacy of your impact in the community by sharing stories and information to the masses. According to KickOff Labs, people are starting to see the power of connecting audibly with an audience. Many businesses are being found through a podcast based on the topics alone.
So where do I start, you may ask? The LAB Miami, located in Wynwood-Miami, Florida, created The Big Idea Box Podcast. The producer, Tami, is here with some tips to start your own coworking podcast all on a budget!
Tip #1 – Stay on your wave! It’s important to figure out what your podcast’s focus is going to be. Define your focus with your team and cater your topics to that niche. Use your target audience or your current community to help with the basis of your content. Since our coworking community truly balances work and play, we focus on entrepreneurial lifestyle and business covering topics from mental health to creating new ventures.
Tip #2 – Define who you are. Consider matching the branding of your coworking space with your podcast. This will help drive traffic to your website and be visually familiar to your current followers. As a team, come up with a mission, vision, and values that align with your community. Everything you create should have those pillars in mind. Our values are centered around inclusiveness, empowerment, purpose, possibility, community, and mindfulness. Keep in mind that these buzzwords reflect our coworking in its entirety.
Tip #3 – Quality sound on a budget! The quality of the sound in production is key. The most important equipment you’ll need is an audio interface. This device connects professional microphones, instruments, and other kinds of signals to a computer and outputs a variety of signals.
Choose an interface that is high ranking for general use and has enough microphone inputs for your main cast. Shure SM58s are professional-grade dynamic vocal mics, valued at $100. To top off of your cart of essentials, you’ll need: an xlr cable for each mic, pop filters, short mic stands, headphones with ¼ adapters, a headphone amplifier which controls the volume of each headphone output, and laptop with an audio recording/editing software that reads the interface.
Select a room in your space that can comfortably fit all your guests and equipment around a table. Also, be sure to fill the room with padding such as dividers, bean bags, and acoustic panels, which all help remove any echo to sound more like a studio. Check out your options for renting equipment and studio space in your area. This could be a great option as opposed to buying all the equipment yourself.
Tip #4 – Organization is key. Making sure you incorporate the same organizational practices and structure to your podcast as you do to the rest of your business is key to keeping on track of deadlines and executing tasks effectively. Delegating and defining roles are critical to making sure things run smoothly. Have a plan before even getting started with recording, and delegate all the tasks amongst your team to outsource by streamlining processes. You can never be too prepared!
Tip #5 – Did you say free?! Believe it or not, free hosting, distribution, and monetization exists! A fellow LAB member shared Anchor.fm with us, which does of all the above through an app and web page. Companies that offer similar services usually charge for upload space, distribution, and analytics. Anchor.fm creates a webpage for all your episodes and uploads your content to Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and various podcast platforms. You can schedule episodes to release and even track your plays per week.
Tip #6 – Sharing is caring. Consider marketing platforms you already have to promote your new podcast. Email blasts to your newsletter list, social media platforms, and even a press release sent to local publications will help you get the word out. More importantly, encourage your listeners to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. The more feedback and subscribed listeners, the higher your show will rank in the podcast pool. Remember, this platform is able to reach the world, so why not make it a big deal!?
Now you’re ready to start your own coworking podcast! These tips are a great way to get the ball rolling. Have fun sharing and keep in mind the impact this platform truly has.
