Gaming is a widely popular activity among people of all ages, and many earn a living by streaming their gameplay on websites like Twitch. Starting a gaming podcast is reasonably straightforward, and the main requirement is a passion for gaming.
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Why Start A Gaming Podcast?Â
There are several reasons you may want to start a gaming podcast, depending on how invested in gaming you already are. Although the concept of podcasting began in the 1980s, it only evolved to its contemporary form after the advent of the internet. Lately, podcasting has risen in popularity, and people worldwide are listening to podcasts daily. The industry is estimated to grow to a value of $1 billion industry this year.Â
These are a few reasons that may compel you to start a gaming-related podcast:
Marketing your Twitch live stream
Podcasts allow you to reach a large audience and can be used to direct this traffic towards your Twitch live stream. This also applies if you have any other gaming-related business such as a web store, or physical store. Think of podcasts as a way to raise brand awareness and give your other businesses exposure.
Podcasts are still relatively new
Although their popularity is rising, the market is still not saturated. For example, there are at least 30 million YouTube channels at this moment. On the other hand, the number of podcast shows is estimated to be less than a million. This means that although there is some competition, it’s a lot easier to get ahead when compared to other social media types.Â
Easy to get started
The equipment and skills needed to start podcasting are very simple. Some podcasters are even able to record an entire series from their smartphone. Of course, the quality of audio will vary according to the type of equipment, but the requirements for a beginner podcast are simple.
The Best Platform For Gaming Podcasts
Spotify is a market leader in audio streaming worldwide, offering freemium service to its users and high earning potential for content creators. You may start by buying Spotify followers. The app streamlines the process of distributing your podcasts and helps monetize them as well.
Adding your podcast to Spotify is as simple as signing up and adding your RSS link into the app. The minimum requirements that Spotify sets for adding a podcast are as follows:
- Title, cover, and metadata for your first episode, at the very least. (Test should not exceed 20 characters)
- HTML coding
- Maximum 200 Megabytes
- Audio must be recorded as MP3 (96-320 Kbps)
- Square ratio for cover art, with high pixel rate. Accepted formats are JPEG, PNG, TIFF.Â
One added advantage to using Spotify to distribute your podcast is synchronization with gaming consoles. Gamers can log into Spotify directly from their gaming consoles and listen to music.
You can kill two birds with one stone by creating playlists for your fans to follow through Spotify. By providing the music, live streams, and a podcast, you engage your audience with a fully immersive experience. This is considered an effective strategy for developing a brand image.Â
Tips On Running A Gaming Podcast
- Always prepare the topics you want to talk about ahead of time. Remember, no one is watching, so feel free to keep notes by your side to avoid awkward silences in your podcast.
- The podcasting community is a friendly one, and usually, podcasters will agree to come as guests for a shoutout and nothing more. You should also do the same and join other podcasts to reach more people and increase your audience size.
- Use social media as a marketing tool for your podcast. Promote it on a variety of social media platforms for maximum reach.Â
- Set a regular schedule for your podcast episode release. This will not only help you increase your productivity by organizing your work but also keep your audience expecting your new podcast episodes.Â
- Make a habit of checking all your equipment before recording to save time on editing and ensure that you don’t miss any parts of the episode.Â
How to Monetize Your Podcast
Of course, if you’re going to put all this effort into recording, distributing, and marketing, you expect some time of monetary compensation. Although some podcasters are able to earn large sums of money, it takes time to build up a reputation and a following, so be patient. As with any social media, there are several methods of generating income.
Income from advertisements
The easiest way to earn money from your podcasts is by adding ads to them. Most podcast hosting services also give you the option to do this once you’ve crossed a minimum threshold of subscribers, listeners, or downloads.
Affiliate linksÂ
Affiliate marketing is a program that many companies offer whereby you can advertise their product, hoping to generate a sale. The company pays a portion of their revenue from sales that originate from your podcast. To track their sales’ origin, they give you a link(known as an affiliate link) that can be included in your podcast episode description or websites.Â
It is generally better if you only advertise products that you genuinely enjoy and believe are worth purchasing. Your audience will appreciate the honesty and will show their loyalty by seeking you out for advice. There are no contracts for affiliate marketing, so you will have complete creative control over your script, and you can advertise as many products as you like.Â
Sponsors
The most lucrative method of earning money on podcasts (or any social media) is attracting the attention of sponsors. They are companies that give you a scripted advertisement to read during your podcast because they are targeting your specific audience.
The contracts between sponsors and podcasters usually include a fixed payment and detailed instructions on how much you can amend their adverts. However, it is difficult to find a sponsor, and it’s better to build your podcast and wait for a sponsor to come to you.Â
As a final piece of advice, remember to have fun when you’re creating content for your gaming podcast. Choose games that you like, and discuss them with guests that you find interesting.
