Selecting the best class on your podcast has the potential to assist your podcast get found and featured. However what must you do with so many classes to select from, and generally seemingly not sufficient?
Sidenote: “style” and “class” are sometimes used interchangeably in podcasting, however I am going to keep on with the “class” time period for this episode.
Classes in Apple Podcasts
Apple was the primary firm to popularize RSS options to standardize podcasting again in 2005. For greater than a decade, Apple provided 68 classes. Apple offers 110 categories you can use for your podcast (19 of that are mum or dad classes). And since almost all podcast feeds use the “iTunes” RSS namespace to make podcasting attainable, most different podcast apps additionally use Apple’s classes, no less than the highest ranges.
Whereas Podcasting 2.0 can be looking for to construct an expanded class listing that apps can use, Apple has laid a pleasant basis that may in all probability be constructed on for a lot of different improvements and enhancements.
Podcasts could be in a couple of class
Publishing instruments have a wide range of limits, however Apple’s official assertion is “You possibly can select as much as two classes or subcategories that finest mirror the content material of your present” [source]. So even when your publishing device helps you to choose 5 classes, assume solely the primary 2 or perhaps 3 will truly matter.
When you choose a subclass, you’re additionally robotically included within the mum or dad class. Here is how that appears within the RSS feed:
<itunes:class textual content="Faith & Spirituality"> <itunes:class textual content="Christianity" /></itunes:class>So don’t be concerned about making an attempt to place your self in each the subcategory and its mum or dad. Concentrate on a subcategory when you can.
The first class issues most
Irrespective of what number of classes you set in your feed, the primary one is what issues most.
Your secondary and different extra classes will enable you to present up in these class collections, editorial options, searches, and searching. However Apple says that along with what your secondary class/classes do on your podcast, it is your first class that’s used for high charts, displaying in your podcast, and even for suggestions on different podcasts within the catalog and “Hear Now.”
4 steps to select the appropriate classes on your podcast
With this in thoughts and so many podcast categories to choose from, listed here are some steps that can assist you choose the proper one!
1. Ignore the charts and saturation
Look at the number of podcasts in each category from Podcast Industry Insights and you will see that “Schooling” and “Society & Tradition” have probably the most whole podcasts by giant margins. However filter out the inactive podcasts and you will now see 4 classes preventing for having the best numbers of 90-day energetic podcasts: Schooling, Faith & Spirituality, Enterprise, and Society & Tradition.
And as for what class the 90-day energetic podcasts mark as their major, “Society & Tradition” nonetheless leads by greater than double the runners-up, after which it is a shut battle for second place between Comedy, Schooling, Enterprise, and Sports activities.
These stats are based mostly on the top-level, mum or dad classes. If we drilled right down to the subcategory degree, these stats would begin drastically splitting aside and you’ll discover classes which have hardly any podcasts.
However this should not actually matter! Simply because a Film Information podcast may high a subcategory’s charts does not imply it needs to be within the Tennis class! Have a look at these statistics solely as informational, not as steering.
2. See the place your “opponents” are
There are in all probability different podcasts speaking about comparable issues, or perhaps even your precise area of interest! See how they categorized their podcasts.
Whilst you may suppose it finest to keep away from the identical classes as your “opponents,” I feel it will truly be finest to decide on the similar classes.
This makes it extra possible for podcast apps to advocate your podcast as related to the opposite one, it provides you extra alternative to be featured inside that class in case there’s ever a particular assortment, and I feel it even will increase your probabilities to be found as a result of your podcast may seem in the identical related contexts as your “opponents.”
Consider it this manner: grocery shops do not put ice lotions with pet meals! Certain, it’d stand out to see an ice cream subsequent to pet meals, however when somebody desires ice cream, they will go to the ice cream cabinets of the frozen meals part. So in case your model of ice cream was being offered subsequent to pet meals as a substitute of with all the opposite ice lotions, in all probability not one of the ice-cream-motivated consumers would see or purchase your ice cream!
Or to cite the philosophy I keep in mind from younger Haley Mills in Disney’s 1961 movie The Mother or father Entice, “Let’s stick collectively, yeah, yeah, yeah.”
3. Decide what finest describes your content material
Whereas your podcast can in all probability match below a number of classes, or perhaps you are feeling prefer it does not match below any of them, take a look at the listing and take into account what can truly describe your content material the perfect.
Take The Audacity to Podcast for instance. I cowl podcast advertising and marketing, how-tos, and know-how. This present appeals to geeks, entrepreneurs, businessmen, businesswomen, and hobbyists. So what truly describes my content material the perfect? Taking a look at my archive of episodes and plans for the longer term, I can see that I speak about know-how probably the most and what that know-how lets you do. Generally, that is advertising and marketing; generally, I clarify precisely use one thing; and generally I step fully away from know-how and deal with motivating you—whether or not you are knowledgeable or a hobbyist. Thus, I feel the “Expertise” class is the perfect match for The Audacity to Podcast. And that will get confirmed by seeing that a lot of the different podcasts about podcasting are additionally in “Expertise.”
Sure, some of my “opponents” are primarily within the “Advertising” class, however The Audacity to Podcast talks about know-how and what you are able to do with that know-how extra than about advertising and marketing.
And whereas I feel all my content material is instructional, not each episode is formatted like a “lesson” or “tutorial.”
So I nonetheless embody “Advertising” and “Schooling ➜ How To” as extra classes. And within the 2023 Individuals’s Alternative Podcast Awards, I submitted The Audacity to Podcast within the Expertise class and the Schooling class. And within the 2023 Spark Media Podcast Awards, I submitted my present within the “Enterprise” class.
(Sidenote: please vote for The Audacity to Podcast in these awards when voting opens quickly!)
To see when you selected the appropriate class that finest describes your podcast, strive describing it to another person as “I host a Audio podcast” the place you may choose just one class. For instance, “I host a know-how podcast,” “I host a TV aftershow podcast,” or “I host a private journal podcast.” The one that matches finest might be the one you need to use.
Sure, I do know this is not all the time so clear. It’s possible you’ll simply want another person to have a look at the listing of related classes and inform you which one they suppose finest describes your podcast. For instance, there was an unsuccessful marketing campaign a few years in the past to get a “Local weather Science” class in Apple Podcasts. However I feel “Earth Sciences” matches these podcasts simply as properly.
And if Apple ever needed to make a featured assortment of podcasts about local weather science, they’d in all probability look within the “Earth Sciences” class first.
4. Decide the place your viewers would anticipate finding your podcast
Just like seeing how another person would primarily describe your content material, take into account the place folks may anticipate finding your podcast when searching totally different charts, classes, and options.
Bringing again my ice cream instance, if somebody is looking for natural ice cream, they will in all probability go to the frozen organics part first. And if there isn’t a such part, they will go to the ice cream part. They will not go to the pet meals part in search of ice cream!
Equally, the place would your ideally suited viewers go and anticipate finding your podcast there? I feel that is within the “Expertise” part for The Audacity to Podcast, and your present may very well be fully totally different.
Interact your viewers and develop your podcast!
Do you ever really feel like your podcast is caught? Such as you’re pouring your coronary heart into your podcast but it surely looks like nobody is listening?
Try Podgagement to help you engage your audience and grow your podcast!
Get speakable pages to simplify partaking together with your viewers, settle for voicemail suggestions (with computerized transcripts), observe your scores and opinions from almost 200 locations, and extra!
Ask your questions or share your suggestions
- Touch upon the present notes
- Go away a voicemail at (903) 231-2221
- E mail [email protected] (audio information welcome)
Comply with The Audacity to Podcast
Disclosure
This publish could comprise hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I’ll obtain compensation out of your actions via such hyperlinks. Nonetheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not advocate solely associates.
Trending Merchandise
