As of January, this year, there were 464 million podcast listeners worldwide. And that's a number that's projected to reach 504.9 million by the end of 2024.

And while we do not need more half-brained highly opinionated amoeba with microphones, a podcast is undeniably a great avenue for growing your personal brand or business.

The podcasting landscape is currently booming.

I'm guessing it's because you don't know where to start. That's totally fair. We are not born with this innate knowledge. Plus, it's a fairly new medium, so unfortunately, we haven't inherited the gift from our ancestors, either.

What we do have, is access to the internet.

And what you have, is me, compiling a little starter pack for you if you're looking to explore your podcasting abilities.

A podcast without a purpose is, well, just a sh*tty conversation with no direction or point. Like that of two finance bros at St Alice on a Friday night who have had a little too much co-curricular fun.

Your "why' will give purpose to everything else and keep you motivated along the way.

So let's think this through. Are you creating a podcast because you:

Want to market yourself or your brand, and grow authority and trust?

Need a creative outlet?

Are looking to build community?

Want to educate or entertain your audience?

These are the most common reasons for starting a podcast. But until you answer your own 'why?' you won't be able to design podcast content that aligns with your vision or your goals.

You can't grow an audience if you don't know who you're talking to in the first place.

Something I learnt when studying advertising at university was the idea of an "ideal listener.' You can literally create a persona that sits within your main target audience.

So think about what kind of person your content is for.

For example, say you have a podcast about craft beer. Now let's think about John (43), a graphic designer from Grey Lynn. He enjoys cycling with his buddies on the weekend and usually stops off at a tap house to finish their session. He sounds like he's going to like your podcast, am I right?

Once you've got your listener persona, it's something you need to keep in mind at all times. Every time you plan an episode, ask yourself, 'Would John like this? Is this focused on his interests?'

If the answer is 'yes,' you're on the right track.

Having an 'ideal listener' will keep your content aligned and focused, making for engaging episodes.

The listener persona drives every decision, from the name of your podcast to the trailers you create. All is carefully crafted and tailored to get John's attention.

Obviously, what you're going to talk about is hugely important. Without this, you don't have a podcast, I fear. Thankfully, this is the easy part (usually.)

A lot of it comes down to who you are and what you have to say.

So, who are you? And what do you want to talk about on this show? Best to get this sorted before you move forward with anything else.

Why should anyone listen to you? No, really. With the 5 million podcasts floating around out there, what's your unique angle?

Some of the most common hallmarks are:

A tight niche: Your'e solving a specific problem for a specific person