Podcasts are fun, but they can be incredibly time-consuming to produce. For example, if you were to broadcast two hours of podcast per week — that's 880 hours a year. That's like spending 880 hours with your mom baking cookies and watching reruns of Modern Family. That's too much time! In this digital age, we crave efficiency. And it's especially important as a podcast producer because we're trying to make all these great shows every single week. With all these projects piling up, there comes a time when even an experienced podcaster needs some help.
And if you are one of those entrepreneurs who are ready to take it to the next level. You're going to be looking for someone who can help take your podcast to the next level and make it more engaging. A Virtual Podcast Assistant could be perfect for you.
What is a Virtual Podcast Assistant?
If you’re a podcaster, you probably already know that podcasting is an amazing way to build your brand and grow your audience. But what do you do with all that time?
You could spend it on another project, but that might mean sacrificing the quality of your show. Or maybe you’re just trying to get more done at work. Or maybe you want to take some time off from working on the business side of things, but still be able to produce the best possible content for your audience.
Whatever your situation may be, a virtual assistant can help! A virtual assistant specialises in helping business owners create, manage, market and distribute their podcasts. A VA for podcasters helps with this—allowing you to delegate aspects of running your podcast so that you can focus on the creative side and vision for your show instead.
A podcast VA can give you exactly what you’re looking for: more time to work on other projects without sacrificing the quality of your show.
And what can podcast VA or Virtual Podcast Assistant do for you?
They do everything from scheduling and collecting headshots to tech checks and post-production, including video creation, transcript creation, creative assets, writing content, and more.
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Who Needs a Virtual Podcast Assistant?
If you are an entrepreneur who is using a podcast as a platform to market your products or services, you definitely need a podcast VA. However, did you know that even musicians and radio talk shows also use the help of a Virtual Podcast Assistant?
Among the things you would probably ask for support from your podcast VA are:
Outreach with guests: Either your VA reaches out to other podcasters where you can guest or reach out to other personalities to whom you could guest on your own podcast show. Your podcast VA can also schedule/reschedule appointments, collect headshots and other digital assets from you and your guests, and test equipment, tools and platforms you will use during your podcast show.
Organize the logistics behind each podcast show: Prepare the recording platform like Anchor.FM or Spotify, orient or brief the guest about the show’s format and script flow, and do tech checks a few minutes before the podcast show.
Post-podcast show production: Your podcast VA will create a transcript of the show, stabilize the sound between each voice, edit out the “ums,” delete the unnecessary background noise, add intro/outro music, finalize everything into one pretty MP3 file format, add tags and description notes for SEO purposes, and upload to Anchor.FM or Spotify, and other podcast streaming and podcast player platforms
Create creative and digital assets: Your Virtual podcast assistant can help you come up with quotable images, episode images, and Wavve files.
Write necessary promotional content: Your podcast VA will write a corresponding blog post for your website, release an email campaign to broadcast the podcast episode, and schedule or publish social media posts to make invites or promotion of your podcast episodes.
What are the qualities to look for a Virtual Podcast Assistant?
There are a lot of virtual podcast assistants out there, and they all claim to be the best. But how do you know which one is right for you?
You want someone you can trust. You need someone who will work with you closely and provide feedback on your podcast so that you can improve it. Or even create polls or surveys on different mediums so you can always get your target audience’s topic preferences and get them to engage more on your future podcast shows.
You want someone who is reliable, honest, and hardworking.
You need someone who is dedicated to helping you succeed as a podcaster. A kind of go-to-person who can not only help out with podcast tasks but also other administrative or operational tasks for your business. A well-rounded VA is heaven-sent as you get to not only get support on your podcast shows but other parts of your business as well.
You want someone who is knowledgeable about podcasting and can help you create great content that people will love.
You need someone with great writing skills, who knows how to use software like Audacity or Adobe Audition, and who has a good understanding of what makes an effective podcast.
If you're like me, then I bet that the first thing that comes to mind when I think about this question is "price." And yes, there is a big difference between what it costs for a virtual assistant versus hiring one in person. Virtual assistants are often cheaper than hiring one full-time employee because they don't require benefits like health insurance or paid vacations.
Where do you find and how do you hire a Virtual Podcast Assistant?
The best way to find a Virtual Podcast Assistant (VPA) is by using a service like Upwork.
Upwork is a website that connects job seekers with businesses looking for help.
Job seekers post their services, and employers can browse through them until they find one they're interested in hiring.
Once you find a VPA on Upwork, you'll need to start building a relationship with them by sending them direct messages in order to get more information about what they can do for your podcast.
You'll want to ask them questions like:
Who are you?
Do you have any experience working with podcasts?
How long have you been working as a VPA?
Another platform you can check out to find a Virtual Podcast Assistant is Freelancer.com.
Simply publish the details about the work you need to be completed, and thousands of freelancers will get it done faster, better, and just right for your budget as a business owner.
The least known ones that can provide really good candidates as well are Craigslist and Indeed.com.
Virtual Podcast Assistants are really very useful if you do not have enough time to fulfill all the tasks related to producing, publishing, and marketing your podcast. With a dedicated, skillful, and qualified VPA, you don't have to worry about missing episodes, typos, or articles that have not been published - the key here is hiring the right candidate.
Need some support on your podcast shows? Click the button for more information. Level up your podcast with an amazing VPA today!
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