Five things to know before you launch a research podcast

Launching a podcast isn’t necessarily difficult. Sustaining it, on the other hand, is difficult. You’re entering a crowded market – it’s estimated that there are more than 4 million of them – and audience share is far from equal. An alarmingly high number fail to make it past their third episode before being scrapped, and the vast majority put out fewer than 20 episodes.

Despite these challenges, podcasts can be an astonishingly effective tool to promote research or academic knowledge. If you avoid the many pitfalls, you have a communication tool with full control of the message; a tool that exists in perpetuity, drawing attention to the work that you do.

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Here, a highly experienced podcast producer and associate lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland and an award-winning former broadcast journalist draw on their experiences to share advice on how to successfully launch a research podcast.

Audience. Audience. Audience

Before you even begin planning that first episode and how it might sound, carefully consider who your audience is. Are you looking to target an academic audience or a lay person? Is this a podcast aimed at the higher education sector or a wider audience?

The answer to these questions should dictate everything from the content to the podcast’s title. An overly complicated or nebulous title is off-putting and veering into jargon – easy to do when you’re immersed in a field of study – will limit your audience. It may be helpful to record a pilot episode before the full launch to identify this.

Make sure your chosen format is sustainable

Many podcasts are short-lived and a contributing factor to this is that the production process can be extremely time-consuming. Non-fiction storytelling – a format deployed by most documentary podcasts – can be compelling to listen to, but takes more time than you may have to produce.

When we launched the Research Matters podcast this year, we opted for a conversational interview – a format that allows for a quick turnaround, but produces compelling content. However, it requires extra vigilance when it comes to avoiding jargon and may limit your pool of guests, as not everyone thrives in an interview setting. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but there is a correct approach for you. Carefully consider what that might be.

It’s also worth thinking about episode frequency. Are you looking to release episodes weekly? Monthly? A complete series as a one-off? If your podcast is not time sensitive, it may be worth considering recording several episodes before the debut launches, allowing for a degree of flexibility with your subsequent recording schedule.  

Invest in the right equipment

You don’t necessarily need a podcast studio to record – although if you have access to one, by all means use it. However, podcast mics aren’t as expensive as you might think, and if you’re serious about your podcast, it’s worth investing in one. Recording via Zoom or Teams using a podcast mic is a viable option.

Even if you don’t have a podcast mic, various AI tools exist that allow you to clean up your audio, significantly boosting its quality. If you’re recording your podcast remotely, it’s sensible to have your guest record their side of the conversation too. You can then stitch together an episode that is of the highest possible sound quality. In an environment where many podcasts fight for attention, sound quality matters.

Keep it brief

Often, when your potential listener is scouring their podcast app for something new, their choice is made based on how much time they have available. This makes shorter episodes more appealing.

Think about when people listen to podcasts – during a commute, when going for a run, while doing housework. Anything up to half an hour is generally the ideal length while you’re still building a loyal audience.

In the longer term, it is more likely that an individual will binge-listen to a catalogue of shorter, rather than longer, episodes. This potentially means you will have to make some difficult editing choices, cutting content that you like. But it’s worth doing this. Your listeners will never consider what isn’t there.

Don’t expect instant success

So you’ve finished your first episode and you’re ready to publish it? Don’t expect to have an instant hit on your hands. People often give up on their podcasts early as listener numbers don’t meet their expectations, but it takes time to build an audience. Word of mouth is key, so give people the opportunity to discover and discuss your podcast by maintaining a regular release schedule. Keep in mind that podcasts are a “pull” medium – your audience has to find you. It’s not like television, where your show might be discovered through channel hopping.

Social media will probably be your main promotional tool, so encourage your guests and other academics, particularly those with high social media followings, to share your episodes online. LinkedIn is often overlooked as a promotional tool for podcasts, but it’s very effective, and will help episodes reach people who have an interest in the subject matter.

It may take time to build your audience, but don’t give up before you do.  

David Allan is an associate lecturer and Andrew Murray is communications and marketing officer at the University of the West of Scotland.

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