Real Estate Agents Can Do Podcasts In These 6 Steps

Podcasts – those recordings by experts on any number of topics – seem to be getting more and more popular. One reason, of course, is they can be listened to while driving.

As with most things technical it’s also become easier and easier to create a podcast. They can also be used for marketing by real estate agents. And, you can even use your smartphone to record them if you’re careful.

How to do podcasts in 6 steps

1. Listen to at least a couple of dozen real estate podcasts – the term real estate podcasts on Google brings up more than you can imagine. You can shorten the list a bit by adding qualifiers, like the name of your city or by adding the word agent. Bookmark any that you really like so you can go back and figure out what you liked – you may want to take a similar approach.
2. Start with your perfect listener – define your ideal listener or two – not more than three. This is because if you try to do a podcast for everyone you’re really not doing it for anyone. You might describe a perfect buyer and seller, from their age, gender, reason for buying and selling, etc. You then talk to just those people in your podcast – and most people will think you’re talking just to them. It’s creative magic.
3. Create a list of 10 topics – write a list of 10 topics you’d like to podcast about. Your goal is probably three – five minutes to start, so you’ll want single topic ideas. Later you can experiment with longer podcasts.
4. Write a simple script – You may want to write your script word-for-word, or just a make a list of your main topics. Experiment with how it’s easiest for you to use – all caps, double spaced, etc. Practice reading it and then just talking it out loud. You want to sound natural and relaxed when you record.
5. Decide how you’re going to record – although you can spend a ton of money getting fancy equipment, you can also use your smartphone. You’ll want an app – just Google podcast app for (name of your phone.) Apps are always changing so you want one that’s fairly current, say within the last 18 months or a year. You can find free ones, which can be a great place to start. Or you may want to pay a bit for yours. Now practice, practice, practice listening closely to yourself so you can make improvements. If you’re careful you can record short podcasts that don’t need editing.
6. Figure out where to host – your podcasts – your app may come with hosting or have a hosting recommendation. If not, Google where to host podcasts and you’ll be given a ton of choices. You can host them for free or for a small fee. Upload and post the links or embed the podcasts on your website. Announce them everywhere.

Evaluate your podcasting venture

Once you get eight or ten podcasts recorded, uploaded, and promoted, evaluate your efforts. Include in your considerations these questions:

• Did you enjoy creating them? If you did, great. You’re bound to get better at it. If, however, you didn’t like the process, podcasting may not be for you. This is the kind of marketing that can work well, but not if you don’t enjoy it.
• What kind of feedback did you get? While it’s true a short sample of podcasts won’t tell you a great deal about your audience, any feedback you got should be considered. If you didn’t get any, ask – ask a friend you know will tell the truth; ask an agent you trust. Consider carefully what they say and decide if you want to continue or not.

Podcasting can grow into a hobby or even an obsession. If you Google podcasting, you’ll realize this article touches just the surface. But following these steps can get you a decent podcast to test the waters.

Trust your instinct. You can do these kinds of simple podcasts forever, you can decide you never want to do another, or you may want to slowly plunge into doing them more professionally. Only you can tell what you want to do and how it may impact your real estate business.

Ask us about getting your podcast embedded or linked to your website.