What is Your Podcast's Over-Arching Topic?

Choosing a podcast topic is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when you start a show. There are good podcast ideas and less intriguing ones, so it’s your job to figure out where your topic idea lands.

• What is your Over-Arching Topic or Main Theme?
• What about the sub-topics that will support your Main Theme?
• What are you passionate about?
• What do you know?
• What's your differentiator? I.E. What can you bring to listeners that they can't get anywhere else?
• Can this topic be monetized?

The more specifically you can answer these questions, the better prepared you'll be to?find your audience?and connect with them.

Whether the topic is about finance or an unsolved crime, good podcasts focus on grabbing and?holding?the audience’s attention. What makes a podcast topic good is telling a story that touches people emotionally–relaying the information so the audience feels hope, suspense, sadness, and happiness as the story unfolds.

As you’re figuring out a podcast topic, start your research by listening to your favorite shows. Identify how the host unravels the story and what emotions bubble up as you listen. No matter which idea you choose, it’s this passion and enthusiasm radiating from the host that makes for a great podcast.

The best shows have one solid topic that all the episodes revolve around. So, once you've determined your topic, make a list of possible sub-topics you could cover in individual episodes. If you can come up with at least 10 subtopics, you know you have a good main topic.

Also, realize that the more specific your topic, the less competition you'll have for listeners and the better positioned you'll be to monetized your podcast. #goal

This exercise is the foundation for your Content Map for the entire first year of your podcast.

EXAMPLE:

"Sports" -> "Team Sports" -> "Football" -> "U.S. College Football"

Topics you could discuss include high school draft candidates, players who are heading to pro teams, coaches at the high school and college levels, what it's like to be the parent of a college football athlete, time that should be spent playing vs. studying vs. preparing for another career outside of football, etc.

Another example? Let's look at a Wendistry client...

Featuring Angelia Pelham, candidate for Frisco City Council Place 3, "The Pelham Podcast" is your home to hear from a "Strong. Strategic. Successful Leader."

Listen to?EPISODE 1?to hear about Angelia's background and an introduction to her team. In?EPISODE 2, Angelia talks about her community service, leadership skills, and why she's uniquely qualified as the best candidate for Frisco City Council Place 3.

With priorities of:

1. Balancing rapid growth with improving quality of life
2. Growing our tax base by attracting and supporting large AND small business
3. Being intentional about soliciting and incorporating diverse perspectives

Angelia was able to deliver focused messages on a broad range of topics like taxes, traffic, density, unity, and diversity, and more on her weekly podcast all the way up to the June 5, 2021, final Election Day.

Potential voters were able to hear her positions and priorities directly from her mouth which refuted all "rumors" and created ideal transparency into her candidacy.

Now that?she has won?her City Council seat, we will be continuing her podcast as a platform to allow the citizens of Frisco direct access to her on how she will govern over the next 3 years. It's also a place where citizens can ask questions and Angelia can answer them on the podcast.

When it comes time for re-election in May 2024, no other candidate will be able to catch up with her audience reach and influence without a significant investment.

After this commercial break, we'll be right back...

Let us be your perfect podcast partner in crime… Prepared, but not practiced. And ready to kick-start your story that?sizzles?for your audience.

Wendistry?is about guiding you to launch and grow a successful podcast. Ideally one that does at least 6-figures a year in revenue.

But it's also a journey that begins with the end in mind.

The first phase (we've just started Phase 1) is all about curating ideas for your podcast, assessing those ideas, determining a comprehensive digital strategy, and identifying the audience that you'll serve.

Phase 2 will focus on establishing your platform and launching that podcast.

Phase 3 will focus on some of the more significant details of your new podcast particularly as it pertains to content and marketing.

Phase 4 is about scaling revenue.

Where we go from there is TBD.

Let’s Start Streaming Your Story!

What's Up Next Week?

Let's talk GEAR... Microphones and headphones and recordings, oh my! Next week, we'll look at all your podcast options from basic setup to editing.

Have a wonderful week and DON'T HESITATE to?send me any questions you might have!