When I first started investing in multifamily properties, I often dreamed about having a room full of experts ready to answer all the day-to-day questions that came up —an unlimited “phone a friend” option for my biggest questions, such as, “Should I hire a property management company or an on-site maintenance person and give discount rent?” or “How much should I estimate for operating costs in multifamily compared to what I was used to in single-family rentals?”
Podcasts turned out to be the answer for my questions. They gave me access to firsthand advice from people who had been in my shoes and learned some extremely valuable lessons. And I’m not alone in my appreciation: Podcast downloads have increased from 7 billion in 2014 to 50 billion in 2019. With more than 525,000 different shows to pick from, podcasts have become a popular medium for reaching an ever-growing captive audience.
Recently, my firm started producing our own weekly podcasts, which have become an amazing marketing tool. If you’re involved in the real estate industry and looking for a new way to build your professional network and overall brand, podcasts are a great way to do it.
Getting Started
While it may sound too simple, all you really need to start producing a podcast is a microphone and a computer with some type of software to record your voice. Like many podcasters, we use GarageBand (which is a free tool on Apple computers) and a Yeti microphone. Beginners might want to just stick with the basics, but if you’re serious about podcasting, accessories like a pop filter will help make your recordings sound more professional.
Once you have those two components, you can start creating podcast episodes. At this point, it’s helpful to reach out to your professional contacts. Interviews are crucial for creating a podcast that is informative and entertaining, especially if you’re new to podcasting.
The only thing that changes from that point on is the quality and consistency that you want to achieve with your podcast recordings. That includes testing and tweaking your podcast format, knowing your audience, researching where you want to publish and laying out a clear strategy on how you are going to grow your listener base.
Publishing Podcasts
The next step is to actually put your podcast out in the world. Of all the things you have to do when managing a podcast, publishing is actually one of the easiest parts.
Sites like Anchor, PodServe, PodBean and others have simplified the podcast production and publication industry by allowing you to upload, publish and syndicate your podcast out to podcast platforms in just a few clicks. Within minutes, listeners can find you on platforms like Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Sticher and Spotify with very little effort.
When publishing, think about the title of both your podcast and future podcast episodes. If you treat it as an SEO opportunity, you’ll be able to convey what the podcast is all about to potential listeners and members of your close and extended real estate communities.
Growing Your Audience
Once it is published, you can easily monitor your podcast’s listener statistics to better understand the audience that your content is reaching and resonating with. That will enable you to continue crafting content that your listeners want to hear. Use the analytics you have to market your podcast on all your social media channels. For example, we found that the majority of our listers come from Spotify and Apple Podcasts, which means we can alternate sharing both those links to cast a wider audience net.
To have a better shot at getting your new podcast into the “New & Noteworthy” promo spots in the iTunes store, my advice is to release multiple podcasts episodes at once. A podcast’s popularity is often seen in the number of total downloads, so the more episodes you have, the higher your download numbers can reach.
Whether you’re just an avid podcast listener or you use these tips to create your own show to share your knowledge and expertise with members of your community, podcasting is a powerful networking tool for the real estate industry.