Soundwave Are you a podcaster, or aspiring podcaster looking to grow your audience? Try microcasting. Create a microcast on Soundwave.
Are you a podcaster, or aspiring podcaster, trying to figure out the new world of microcasting—or micropodcasting as some call it? Or are you already a microcaster, producing short-form audio content, but looking for new platforms to engage your audience on? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Soundwave is a short-form social audio app that lets podcasters and microcasters like you engage an audience around 60-second audio clips. No flashy photos, no time-consuming audio editing, no need for expensive recording equipment. It’s just you and your voice—and a community waiting to hear what you’ve got to say.
In this guide, we’ll go over five best practices for bringing your podcast or microcast (or micropodcast!) to the Soundwave social audio app.
1. Keep it thematic
Just like with podcasts, radio shows, and TV shows, audiences expect content creators to stick to certain topics. If your podcast or microcast tends to focus on parenting, and then suddenly, you start posting technology reviews, you’ll probably throw off a few listeners. Unless, of course, you are reviewing tech products from the point of view of an overworked, screentime-obsessed parent. That makes sense.
Don’t feel the need to box yourself into a certain domain, but do consider areas of expertise or interest that you’re looking to dive deeper into. This will keep listeners engaged.
Jeff Johnson, for example, is the creator of the Men Thrive podcast and Black dads-focused brand Journacy. While not every Wave he posts is about fatherhood or the unique struggles and joys of Black fatherhood, his content does appeal to that core audience, which he nurtures in his full-length, interview-style podcast. His thematic content gives his audience consistency. They know what to expect when they see a @Jeffsnation Wave in their feed.
2. Engage with your audience
Podcasts are one-to-many audio experiences, where creators put their work into the world for people to consume. Feedback can happen, of course—but it’s usually in the form of social media commentary, emails, or reviews.
With microcasts, you get to engage directly with your audience in bite-sized, instant feedback. It’s like radio, where callers dial in and voice their opinions—but it’s asynchronous and everybody can get involved, not just the three callers that make it through the line.
Direct engagement means you can ask questions, get a feel for the room, and pivot your content quickly, based on your audience’s reactions. You can even use that information to adjust your full-length podcast, if you have one.
Food and drinks reviewer Dennis, creator of The Dennis Show podcast, for example, knows how to get a crowd going. With his recent “60 second food review” of the new Cool Ranch Lays potato chips, he had Soundwavers up in arms about the best—and worst!—chips, condiments, and snacks out there. His commentary takes a very “yes, and…” improv comedy approach, wherein he is consistently validating his audience’s comments, and then building upon them. His humor and wit keep listeners coming back for more, and he evolves his content based on what listeners are saying.
3. Cross-promote across platforms
Glow She-eo founder Candice Denise Owens is developing her podcast, and in the meantime, she’s building an audience through 60-second Waves on Soundwave. She recently posted on Instagram, calling Soundwave the first step toward her starting her podcast.
“What I love most is I can share my audible thoughts, ideas, opinions, knowledge, hell anything I want to say, in quick sound bites,” Owens wrote to her Instagram followers. “This is a great build up for me to go into the podcast space, and I would love to have you along this journey with me.”
Similarly, we’ve noticed that Owens has great synergy between her Instagram and Soundwave content. For example, she posted a branded graphic on Instagram at the same time she recorded a Wave around the concept that you can’t please everyone with your content.
If you’re a podcaster—or aspiring podcaster—you can use Soundwave to grow your audience in between full-length episodes. You can then cross-post the easily-downloadable Waves and share them via your social channels, text, emails, or any other way that fits into your growth strategy.
4. Post in tidbits
One of the beauties of microcasting—or micropodcasting, if you will—is its brevity. You can get more out of your content, as key podcast points can be chopped up into shorter soundbites for your audience to comment on. All of a sudden, your thirty-minute weekly podcast has generated a series of five daily Waves that have Wavers digging in-depth on your latest podcast episode. Instead of just listening, they get the chance to weigh in on each micro-point you made.
Dr. Phillip Fletcher, the brilliant mind behind the Humanity Matters podcast, is a great example of someone who gets bite-sized content. His full-length, weekly podcast episodes range in length from 4 minutes to around an hour, and he really dives into each topic.
On Soundwave, however, Dr. Fletcher’s Waves rarely take up the full 60 seconds. Instead, he gets right to the point with provocative questions and statements around philosophy and social issues, such as what you’d do if there was no government for a year, whether the U.S. Constitution is still relevant for Americans, and what free speech really is. His listeners, then, are the ones who dive in, with their thoughts and opinions. Talk about reversing roles.
As a microcaster, or micropodcaster, you have the opportunity to create faster, more pointed content that you can spread out over time, in between full-length podcast episodes.
5. Fill out your profile
Make sure Soundwavers know you’re a podcaster and can find your podcast and social channels. It’s as simple as filling out your profile! Upload a profile picture, write a bio, and link to your social channels and website.
In the example profile above, Shayna Amster, comedian and host of the Girl Interrupter podcast, has a straight-forward bio and links to her Instagram, Twitter, and website. Perfection.
Microcasting is an effective way to grow an audience and get instant feedback on your content. Download Soundwave for iPhone and iPad to speak your mind.
