Podcasts can be a very powerful tool for improving your credibility. For improving your traffic. For improving your reputation as an expert. For your information marketing business as a whole.

Everyone who is relying on the sale of books, courses, coaching and other courseware should be at least considering podcasting.

But they aren't perfect. And there are things that you can do that will make them even less perfect. Here are six things for you to avoid during a podcast release.

1. Probably the most common root issue is trying too hard to be perfect. Many new podcasters hear more experienced podcasters and believe that they need to be perfect in their delivery and their recording of their material. Nothing could be further from the truth. That's what the editing or polishing process is for. Turning a set of imperfect recordings into one almost perfect recording. Besides, you want people to know you not the perfect you!

2. Podcasts are only useful if they have listeners. I remember a Sunday School song that went "Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine". Like this little light you need to bring your podcast out from the bushel and let it shine. No one is going to listen to it unless you market it. You need to have a plan in place to get traffic to it. You need to get listeners. Unless you do, the work you've put into your podcast will have been wasted.

3. The other side of the coin is over-marketing. Not everyone is going to be interested in your podcasts. That's fine. Some people don't like podcasts. Some people don't like free information. And if you're selling your podcasts that just means there are more people who don't want to listen. You need to be careful that you don't over market your podcast and drive your customers away. In short, don't bug your email list about the podcast.

4. We all tend to focus on our own lists when marketing. That's natural. These are people that have already said they are interested in our products. But with a podcast, that's a big oops! After all, one of the benefits from podcasts is an increase in traffic. And if you only market to your own customers you're kind of missing the point! So be sure to identify in your marketing plan how you are going to get the word out to people who haven't heard of you before. Don't forget affiliates, search engines and podcast hosts. They are all good sources of potential traffic.

5. Don't overpromise in your podcast. Let's face it we all tend to get a little passionate about our products. We all tend to get into the sales terminology game. The best! The newest! The whatever superlative term you can think of! Be careful of this. Don't overpromise and underdeliver. Be sure your listeners return next week!

6. Don't forget that your podcast isn't a one time thing. For most types of product we create one and then go off on other duties. With a podcast you are releasing an ongoing product. Sort of like a subscription monthly membership program. You need an ongoing marketing program. Don't get so caught up in the release that you forget that you need to continuously market your podcast.

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