Plan your own podcast: This is how you publish effectively

To create a podcast successfully, it is crucial to plan the release of your episodes well. In this tutorial, you will learn how to pre-schedule the release of your podcast episodes on anchor.fm easily and efficiently. You will learn how to set the date and time of your release and what factors play a role. Let's dive right into it!

Main Takeaways

• Pre-planning the release for better reach.
• The importance of releasing at the right time.
• Using anchor.fm for publishing and distribution.
• Significance of setting a fixed release time.

Pre-scheduling release on anchor.fm

To upload your podcast episode, go to the platform anchor.fm. Once you are there, the first steps are relatively easy. You have the option to either publish your episode immediately or pre-schedule it, thus strategically publishing it on a specific platform.

Once you have everything regarding the episode, such as title and description, ready, click on "Publish Now". Note that your first release may take some time to become available on platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcast – it often takes a day to two weeks for the episode to be approved.

This is because an algorithm or bot ensures that all platform requirements are met. This verification is particularly important for your first episode.

After publishing, it is suggested not to immediately check Spotify to see if your episode is already online, as it may not be the case yet.

Setting the Date and Time

An important step is setting the publication date. To pre-schedule an episode, check the options under "Publish Date". Here, you can choose to publish the episode immediately or for a specific time in the future.

If you tick "Schedule", you can specify the date and time for your release. For example, an episode could be scheduled for January 22, 2021, at 8 pm.

Keep in mind that "AM" stands for the morning and "PM" for the evening. When choosing the time, it is important to consider when your target audience is most active.

I recommend having a fixed upload schedule to ensure consistency and planning security. Some podcasters swear by releasing in the early morning, while others have found that evening releases are more effective.

Choose a time that suits your listeners and try to consistently maintain it to increase the click-through rate of your episodes.

Checking Language and Category

After setting the date and time, it is advisable to check the language and category of your episode. These settings are crucial for the discoverability and targeting of your content on various platforms.

Be sure to select the correct language – in this case, German – and choose the category accordingly to have your podcast listed in the right areas. Then click "Continue" to proceed to the next step.

Now your podcast will be distributed on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcast. To complete this step, click on "Yes, distribute my Podcast".

If you do not choose this option, you would have to manually upload your podcast to each platform – which is time-consuming and laborious.

Analysis and Review of the Episode

After publication, you can view the analytics of your episode. By clicking on the "Episodes" button, you can access the details of your scheduled episode.

Here you can keep an eye on the advertisers, the length of your episode, and the plays. If necessary, you can make changes accordingly to improve the quality.

If you need adjustments, click on the button to edit the episode. The "customized episode" function allows you to make specific changes to further improve your podcast.

Summary

Careful planning of your podcast episode can significantly contribute to maximizing reach and engagement. You have learned how to pre-plan your episode with anchor.fm, choose suitable times, and ensure distribution on various platforms. By setting the language and category, monitoring the analytics of your episodes, you can continuously make improvements to position your podcast optimally.