There’s a saying that goes, “Find something you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
Well, they’re half-right.
The best jobs and businesses really are the ones that you enjoy working on AND bring in money. However, they still take work. Most people gloss over that latter bit.
Take podcasting, for instance. Who wouldn’t want to spend hours talking about things they’re passionate about, and occasionally with some of the industry’s rockstars as guests – while earning serious bucks for it?
Sure, it sounds fun. (And it is, I’ve facilitated podcasts for Remote Staff myself, so I can vouch for that.) But there’s a lot more work involved than most people would guess.
So, if you’re currently trying to launch your own podcast or are thinking about getting started, read on and find out what it takes to make your efforts successful – and how hiring a VA can get you there faster.
Breaking Down The Elements of a Successful Podcast
What tasks go into producing a great podcast? Let’s take a look.
Before
The work begins long before you turn on your microphone. Before you even start recording an episode, you need to do a lot of pre-production work.
This involves brainstorming topics and subtopics, doing the accompanying research, inviting the guests (if any), and promoting an upcoming episode.
During
The more effortless a conversation appears on a podcast, the more work goes into it.
Apart from ensuring that the recording goes off without a hitch, podcasting sometimes involves following a carefully-prepared script. It can be a list of talking points or guide questions or even a rough outline of the sequence of topics.
If everything goes according to plan, the conversation should flow smoothly all throughout – and end on time.
After
Think your job’s done after recording your podcast. Think again.
Before you can even upload your latest episode, you’ll need to check the audio quality and make necessary adjustments. You may also need to transcribe the entire episode for the benefit of hearing-impaired subscribers (or listeners who just want a word-per-word account).
Then there’s uploading the actual episode on the right platform – or several.
Finally, you’ll need to promote each new episode and respond to the ensuing feedback to drive engagement – and eventually, convert such into profit.
Six Ways Hiring a VA Can Help Accelerate Your Podcast’s Success
No matter how much you love podcasting, you can’t possibly do all those things by yourself. It just isn’t humanly possible. Or at least, not for long.
Thus, here are just a handful of things you can delegate to an extra set of expert hands – so you can focus on the things that only YOU can do.
Topic Research
Right now, you’ve probably got a bajillion topic ideas going through your head, and that’s great.
However, running a successful podcast is a marathon, not a race. So, you need to pace yourself.
A podcast VA can draw up a list of your topics, sub-topics, and help you figure out the right sequence for them. S/he can also do the research for the main talking points and the fact-checking, which can be tedious and time-consuming.
Script Writing
“But I don’t want to sound scripted!”
Calm down, that’s not what I meant. If you can speak off the cuff with no trouble, then more power to you! But even the most eloquent extemporaneous speakers run the risk of veering off-topic without structure.
Who has time to write a rough outline, let alone a carefully-constructed script?
The right VA, that’s who.
Reaching Out to The Right People
Here’s a fun fact. There are actually VA’s or podcast producers out there with big contacts – and have a history of bringing them in. Sure, they cost a pretty penny to hire, but they usually pull in enough money to make up for it.
Besides that, a podcast VA can also look into the hottest influencer or authority on upcoming topics. Furthermore, they can reach out to them to arrange a collaboration as well.
Audio/Video Editing
High-quality audio (and the occasional video) is a non-negotiable for aspiring podcasters. Podcasting virtual assistants can help by removing background noise, dead air, and filler words.
In addition, they can even add in the right sound effects or background music.
Graphic Design
Part of differentiating your podcast from the rest is defining your brand.
Need a logo for your podcast? How about a decent cover graphic for your episodes?
Why spend hours on Photoshop or Canva when you can just hire a VA to do it – and do it well – for you?
Getting the Word Out
No matter how good your podcast is, it won’t take off unless you’ve got a captive audience. For that, you’ll need to upload your episodes on the right platform/s, and get people excited about them.
There are various platforms that can host your podcast out there, and it helps to identify the one that your target audience prefers. Ditto for the social media platform to engage with them.
An experienced podcast VA or a social media manager can do both, and spare you the trouble of having to construct and schedule posts too.
Like I said, podcasting is fun. Once you get started, it’s natural to feel protective and proud of your podcast as though it were your child.
But just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire team (or one singularly talented VA) to get a podcast off the ground – and make it profitable.
Whether you need an entire team of script writers, graphic designers, and social media managers (or one singularly talented VA) to do the same for yours, Remote Staff has got you covered.
With over fourteen years of experience providing AU entrepreneurs and visionaries like you with skilled Filipino remote talent, we can find the right people – or person – for you.
Talk to us today or schedule a callback and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home.
