Having a podcast is a great way to share content with people all over the world. With a podcast, you can simply share your own thoughts or ideas, or you can interview other people to provide more information on a certain topic.

There are plenty of podcasts out there today on varying topics, and some of them are more successful than others. If you’re making any of the following mistakes with your podcast, you need to make the right changes immediately in order to increase your success.

Mistake #1: You don’t add new podcasts regularly.

If you’re going to provide a podcast, you need to do so with a regular schedule. In order to be successful, you need to build a strong audience. If you don’t provide them with regular content, they’re going to stop coming back to check out your podcast.

Determine what type of podcast schedule works best for you. For example, can you provide a new podcast on a daily basis? A weekly basis? Once you know what schedule works best for you, try posting your podcasts on the same day of the week and at the same time every day. This way, your audience will start to recognize your schedule, and they’ll know when to come back for some fresh content.

Mistake #2: You ramble.

If you are talking in circles on your podcast, it will not bode well for the success of your efforts. In order to create a successful podcast, you need to create a script. You don’t necessarily have to read the entire thing while recording, but the script will ensure that you don’t repeat yourself or miss any important topics or discussion points. If you are interviewing someone else for your podcast, give him or her the opportunity to look over the questions in advance so that they can adequately prepare their responses. This too will ensure your podcast runs smoothly.

Mistake #3: You have poor sound quality.

Your podcast relies heavily on sound, and if your sound quality is poor, you will lose your audience. Spend the money on decent recording software to ensure your voice can always be heard and there isn’t any static or other issues. You also want to make sure you’re recording in a quiet area. If there is background noise, it will be picked up, and this will be all your audience will be able to focus on during your show.

Mistake #4: You don’t edit your recordings.

There is nothing wrong with tailoring your podcast to provide the best possible recording. Take some time to listen to the podcast in full and decide where to make any edits if necessary. This way, you can cut out all those “ums” and “ahs”, and ensure a smooth transition throughout the entire broadcast.

Mistake #5: You don’t add transcriptions.

Some podcasters just place the podcast on their website and call it a day. This is not a smart move. It’s very important for the success of your podcast that you provide transcripts on all your posts.

Transcripts benefit your podcast in three major ways. First, they make your podcast accessible to individuals with hearing impairments or who simply cannot physically listen to your podcast. Second, a transcript gives your audience something to reference. They may have learned something from your show, and instead of having to listen to the entire podcast again, they can check the transcript for that web address or other piece of information they wanted. Finally, a transcript can boost the SEO of your podcast. Search engines cannot crawl through the content of your podcast, but they can crawl through your transcript. By giving them physical keywords to crawl through, you can boost the SEO of your podcast and reach a wider audience.

You don’t have to worry about taking the time to transcribe your own podcasts either, as a podcast transcription service can do this for you.

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• Image credit smartphotostock.com

Meyling Lau is a partner at SEOMap.com and has lead enterprise scale SEO programs. Formerly, Mey led a variety of grassroots marketing projects for Hotels.com.