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Wayne Frazier and Natalie Lipka started their own podcast as performing arts professionals because they believe that podcasting is an excellent opportunity to find their voices as actors while growing their personal brands. For Frazier, podcasting is also a continual learning opportunity that has helped to network with industry players and boost this confidence. He said, “It’s almost like our own little class every day.”
Podcasting is a unique medium, so it’s important to research how to successfully put one together before diving right in. Listening to podcasts will help you better understand the basic structure and what it takes to pull off a successful show.
“Anybody who has a name or brand they want to build can benefit,” said Ray Ortega, host of “The Podcaster’s Studio.” It allows you to build your brand by establishing credibility and authority about whatever topic you choose to focus on. He added, “No one will get a job in a creative field these days without putting out content.” And, podcasting one of the most effective ways to share content and get people to take notice.
This platform can also serve as a means of creating an entertainment portfolio, and when it comes to acting, this can help showcase your “type” or personality. If you can create an infectious presence that draws listeners in, this connection could lead to success in other mediums.
“Working on a podcast gave me a new tool in my toolkit,” said writer and producer Jessica Weisberg. She added, “We’re living in a moment where, if you’re a storyteller, you have to be medium-agnostic,” meaning you have to be comfortable working with a wide variety of mediums.
Perhaps the hardest thing to do is to create a show that is different from what everyone else is already doing. Screenwriters are familiar with how difficult it can be – but, it can be done. The key is to either do something differently or better than everyone else out there.
“The power of podcasting is the niche,” said expert Daniel J. Lewis. It is different from radio in that podcasters can focus on one specific topic rather than having to draw in a broad audience with more generalized content. According to Lewis, “The wider or broader the topic, the harder it will be to build an audience,” when it comes to podcasting. This is what sets it apart.
The number one goal should be to get comfortable enough on air to allow the conversation to flow with ease. When you get to this point, your audience will be comfortable listening, and this will allow you to connect with your listeners and build your brand.