Comedy podcasting is not the easiest endeavor in the world, however, there are many people out there that would make great comedy podcast hosts, co-hosts, and guests. Especially in this digital frontier, your voice and comedy should have its own platform! Here are the tips to help you get your comedy podcast up and running.
Podcasting came as a medium when Apple launched their all-new iPods and other electronic gadgets came into existence.
Before going deep into the tips that you need to make your Podcast unique and grow massively, it’s important to decide the right format for your podcast.
‘Comedy is a serious business, with only one purpose – to make people laugh’.
How To Pick A Podcast Format
Decide on what your audience should get out of listening to your show
Do you want your audience to learn something after listening to your podcast? Then go ahead with an educational podcast. Is your sole desire to entertain? Then you could probably host conversational podcasts.
Decide what the goal of your podcast is (or what you would like your audience to get out of it) and then decide which format of podcast will assist you achieve your goal.
What format will suit your personal strengths
Think about what your personal strengths are and then think about a format that would follow suit. The format should be such that it matches your content style and editing abilities.
There is so much space for creativity. Adding your own twist is probably the important factor you can bring to a show. All you need to do is give your audience the reason to listen to you over others in your niche.
A suggestion — don’t restrict yourself to a particular format, try mixing up two different formats. To be unique you need to explore and bring something that nobody has ever touched upon.
Hopefully, these points help you select your podcast format. Now you need to stress on ways to make it big. With tons of people turning to podcasts, it can be tough to make your show unique. And while this may seem difficult, following a few tips given below, you will definitely be able to go a long way.
General Tips For Beginners
If you are a complete beginner in Comedy podcasting, then you can use these tips and make your podcast even more popular. If you have good experience in Comedy podcasting, then you can jump down to the Best Comedy Podcasting Tips.
1. Brand Your Podcast
This involves giving a catchy title to your podcast. Pick a title that your audience can easily remember and easily say out loud. People talking about your podcast to others is great free marketing. Make it something that can easily flow off the tongue. From what I’ve seen, descriptive titles work better than abstract titles. Invest some time in branding your podcast. Don’t be afraid to run some names by a friend.
2. Creat A Structure
Here you need to decide how you want to present your content. Is it in the form of audio or video? People usually prefer some visual experience so you could possibly go with video content. Until you are really happy with your content and delivery, you are on the safer side with only audio.
3. Grow Your Audience
Growing an audience is a time-consuming process but you can definitely develop a platform where people could find you. Design a solid website, share it on various social media platforms, and spread the news with friends.
You can even make a Youtube Channel, convert your podcast episodes to video and upload it to Youtube. Also, be ready to receive positive as well as negative feedback. Try to learn from your own mistakes and take negative feedback with a grain of salt. It’s easier to tear down then compliment.
5. Monetize Your Podcast
Monetizing your podcast is a crucial step. Many fail to be successful even though they have exceptionally good content. So it is advised that you sell advertising placements on your show.
6. Produce High Quality
You need to invest in a good quality microphone so that you have high-quality audio. Sound Cloud is an excellent platform to showcase your show.
7. Be Consistent
Consistency with the content you produce, and the posting frequency of your shows will set you apart from the competition. Consistency is a factor that many fail to achieve. Starting a podcast can be an easy task, but you need to be regular with it. Once you lose your consistency, you will lose your audience.
Don’t forget:-
“The Key to Success is Consistency”
Best Comedy Podcasting Tips
#1 Try to Make Your Comedy Podcast Script As Funny As Possible
If your comedy podcasting script is not good, then nobody can stop your failure. It is the most important part of any comedy podcaster. If your comedy podcast is not able to make someone laugh, then why are people going to listen to it? They are going to hit the back button and never return.
I hope now you see the importance of the Comedy podcast script. Here is a way you can test if your comedy podcast scripts are good or not. Write your comedy podcast script and tell it to 5 people. Any 5. It can be your brother, sister, mother, or anyone who will take the time to listen.
Ask if they thought the script was funny without telling them that you wrote it. This promotes impartiality and hopefully promotes a fair answer. Make changes to the script according to their reactions and make it the best.
Your audience should listen to the best content only. Give your audience the chance to laugh out loud. Comedy podcasts are all about making your audience laugh. But you should make sure that your content doesn’t become vulgar.
Maintain the flow adding decent jokes that keeps the audience with you. You could create humorous jokes that match the topic you talk about each show.
#2 Listeners Appreciate An Active Experience
Scott Aukerman’s launched his first podcast named Comedy Bang!Bang! When he launched it initially, some 500 people were listening to his podcast. But someone advised him that the audience expects you to introduce some humor instead of just two people talking to each other.
“I wanted to make the show stand out, so we decided to turn it around into a variety show,” Scott said.
In the very next episode, Aukerman’s show saw a phenomenal increase in listeners from the start.
A learning outcome from this is to understand that to be unique you have to grab the attention of the audience. Think of yourself as the audience and then rationally think of things that you expect from a podcast. Do you expect two people talking or are they trying to involve you in their own conservation?
Everybody would like to be involved. Be creative and find ways to make the show as interactive as possible for your listeners.
#3 Starting A Podcast Is Not As Difficult As You Think
All you need to host your first podcast is a set of mics, some friends (or solo), and a place to host your show.
Many fail to understand that a podcast has the potential to bring in triple the amount of audience that a live comedy show could. You just need to be rational in your decisions and everything is going to be perfect ahead.
#4 Listen To Your Audience, Try Not To Mess With Your Format
It seems to be a good idea to shuffle your format from one to another to experiment with new formats. You may succeed with this but there are high chances of losing your audience. You have your audience for a reason. They appreciate the work that you have been doing for. Suddenly bringing in new changes would be hard to digest for your audience. Consistency is key here.
Be aware of why your audience follows you. Try improving on the things that you have been doing instead of introducing new changes all of the time.
#5 Your Audience Should Crave To Listen To Your New Podcast
You should be so good that the audience longs to listen to your new podcast. If you are able to create a fanbase then you are done with it. In the time interval between your new release and latest release, update your audience with the new things you are working on. This will help your audience wait for you to come up with another magnificent podcast.
#6 Give Expressions While Recording a Podcast
While recording a comedy podcast, you are not reading a book. Expressions are very important to make someone laugh especially in a comedy podcast. Even the best joke will not make someone laugh if it is not spoken with expression.
For any comedian, two things are most important:-
- Comedy Script (Joke)
- Expressions
Make sure both of these are good in your comedy podcast. If one of them is missing, then your comedy podcast might not be comedic anymore.
So, don’t forget to give expressions while recording a podcast episode. Develop your own unique voice and bring joy to the world!
Hope that you have a deep insight into some tips that could make your podcast do wonders. If you feel that I missed out on something then do let me know in the comment section.
ALL THE BEST!