This post might not be exactly what you were expecting. I’m not going to dive into all the equipment you need to buy or the editing software you should be using. (You can find all that info in lots of other listicles on the Internet.)

Starting a podcast isn’t just about having a microphone and a catchy title. In fact, those are two things you can probably worry about a little later in the process.

When I’m taking initial calls with clients, sometimes they feel a pressure to come to us with everything figured out– what equipment they’ll use, which guests they’re going to speak to, the podcast title and description. While yes, we will have to figure all of those things out eventually, the truth is that all of those things are meaningless if you don’t know what show you’re making and why. 

There are a handful of questions you need to ask yourself before launching your show that will help ensure its success. So, let’s focus on what you do need to know before you launch your podcast in 2025– and what you really don’t need to stress about yet. 

Questions To Consider

1. What is the goal of your podcast? 

Before we can create a successful podcast for your brand, we need to understand your podcast’s purpose. As we’ve said on this blog multiple times in the past, what is the job your podcast is going to do for your brand? Are you building brand awareness? Looking to drive sales? Building thought leadership for a leader in your organization? Narrowing in on this goal upfront will shape every decision we make about the podcast. 

Example

Let’s take the same imaginary brand, but with two very different goals. Imagine a new startup that just launched selling an AI-powered baby monitor.

• Scenario 1: The brand is looking to increase brand awareness and sales.
• Scenario 2: The brand is looking to elevate their founder as a savvy entrepreneur to gain interest from investors. 

In the first scenario, we might develop a podcast featuring stories and tips on surviving the chaos of new parenthood. 

In the second scenario, we might develop a Shark Tank-style show where the founder of the company hears pitches for other would-be entrepreneurs and offers coaching and advice on turning their concept into a viable business. 

See the difference? This is why it’s so important to lock down your podcast’s goal. 

2. Who is your target audience? 

You’ll notice that’s “audience”– NOT “audienceS”. This may seem like a given, but it can be surprisingly difficult to narrow down your core target audience! The thing is, a podcast for everyone is a podcast for no one. 

Example

Imagine a sportswear brand. They sell athletic wear and often partner with professional athletes. 

• Scenario 1: The brand is looking to double down on their core audience of young men 16-34. They want this clientele to feel a sense of community within their brand and associate their brand even more deeply with serious athletics. 
• Scenario 2: The brand is looking to diversify their clientele. They’ve identified a recent influx of Millennial women purchasing their leggings, and see an opportunity to build on that momentum and make them into a core customer. 

In scenario 1, we might create a podcast focused on the NBA, featuring analysis of the latest games and interviews with star NBA players. 

In the second scenario, maybe we would partner with an influencer on a podcast about body autonomy, covering issues like building a healthy relationship with your body, fitting fitness into a busy schedule, or relevant pop culture stories. 

Two similar goals (building brand awareness & affinity with potential customers), two different audiences, and two very different shows! 

3. What makes your brand, product or services unique? 

Having an understanding of how YOUR brand, product or services stand out in the marketplace is going to be key for your brand’s overall success. But it also helps determine the success of your branded podcast. Ask yourself why someone would choose to do business with you instead of your nearest competitor? (Price? Quality? Speed? Values?) What do you offer that no one else has? Understanding this will help narrow down the focus on your podcast. 

Example

Let’s pretend you’re a long-standing financial institution. You’re looking to reach potential and existing customers for your financial advising services, demonstrating your expertise in wealth management. 

• Scenario 1: Your brand prides yourself on being an accessible space for those who may not always have felt welcome working with financial advisors in the past. You prioritize hiring women and non-white advisors to ensure your advisors reflect your clientele. 
• Scenario 2: Your brand specializes in sustainable and ethical investing. Many of your clients work with you because they trust that you are putting their money in companies that are doing good for the world.

In the first scenario, we would definitely want to ensure the podcast is hosted by a BIPOC woman and would want to develop a podcast that is accessible to broad audiences, de-mystifying financial advising. 

In the second scenario, we might create a more news-based show that perhaps gets a little more in the weeds, highlighting the financial potential of investing in companies that are not only doing good in the world, but also driving profits for their investors. 

4. What is your brand’s voice? Your values? 

This question ties closely in with the last question, but is slightly different. Before launching your show, it’s important to narrow down what the tone of your podcast will be. This is largely driven by the voice and values of your brand. I want to highlight here an example from Pacific Content-alum Karen Burgess.  

We’re going to use an example from reality TV here to highlight the importance of distinguishing your brand’s tone and values. Here’s the description Karen wrote for a show you’ve definitely seen, or at least heard of: 

A group of talented, amateur chefs cook for some of the biggest names in the culinary industry. Each week they compete in tougher and tougher elimination challenges until only one of them is left. 

What show do you think she’s referring to here? 

Was it The Great British Bake Off? 

Or was it MasterChef? 

The description for both shows is the same. The concept is the same. The topics, subject matter, and even the format are roughly the same! But I think you’ll agree, these are two very different shows. 

The tone of the shows, the values and the voice, are radically different. One show is tense and high-stakes, serious and dramatic. The other is playful and lighthearted, funny and even, at times, silly. 

So, what does your brand sound like? Is your brand serious and stoic? Funny and playful? Dramatic? Accessible? High-brow? 

5. How much time do you realistically have to dedicate to this podcast? 

Making a podcast– no, sorry, I should say– making a successful podcast can be a serious time commitment. If your internal team does not have capacity to take on the production, maybe it’s time to consider outsourcing the work. If you want someone internal to host the podcast, maybe reconsider. And definitely consider how the time commitment will necessarily impact the release cadence of your podcast. Signing up to release weekly episodes of the show is a big time commitment. Don’t get me wrong, that commitment could very well pay off! But, before promising your audience that you’ll be back with new episodes every single week, consider whether you’re prepared to make that time commitment. If not, perhaps consider a bi-weekly cadence. Or, you could consider a seasonal schedule, allowing you to contain that time commitment to the duration of the season. 

6. How do you want to use this podcast? 

Think about how your brand will use your new podcast asset. Does your brand already have an active YouTube channel where your podcast could fit nicely? Are you looking to create more assets for social media? Do you plan to mine the stories in your podcast for creative new blog posts? All of this is helpful to understand for deciding how you will (or will not) incorporate video into your production process. 

If social media is a huge part of your marketing plan, it probably makes sense to have at least video clips from interviews as part of your production process. 

If your audience spends a lot of time on YouTube, maybe having full-length video episodes will be important for resonating with your audience. 

If your blog is your primary communication channel, then maybe video isn’t actually a super vital part of this process right now. 

Regardless, answering this question early on will help you develop a better strategic answer to the inevitable question: “Video or no video?” 

(For more thoughts from me on video podcasts, check out “Am I Warming Up to Video Podcasting?” and “The Ultimate Guide to Your Brand’s Video Podcast Strategy”) 

What You Don’t Need to Know (Yet) 

• What platform to host the podcast files– You need to understand the goals of your podcast before deciding which hosting platform will work best for you! Besides, you can decide this closer to the launch.

• The title of the podcast– You can make this decision much closer to the podcast launch date.

• Episode guests/ topics– It’s hard to choose episode topics when you don’t even know what the show is yet!

• Your theme song– Make sure you’ve set the tone of the podcast before diving too deep into music libraries.

• Podcast artwork– It’s best to have a solid understanding of the values, audience, and goals of your show before building out the artwork.

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