Here are ideas for finding new themes and subject matter for your next podcast:
Think about your expertise:
If you're currently getting paid for your time and expertise, that's a good sign that you have something interesting to say on the topic.
Ask yourself:
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How do I currently make a living?
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What kind of customers do I serve at work?
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What communities do I belong to?
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What do I do better than anyone else?
For example, Christopher Schmitt is a web designer, so he talks about design on his show:
Read your blog posts!
If you're already blogging on a particular topic, you can create a podcast where you read your blog posts. This is exactly what Ashley Baxter is doing for her Bootstrapped Digest podcast.
See what's hot:
Using tools like TopPodcast, Podbay Top Charts, Cast.Market, you can browse the different Apple Podcasts categories, and see which ones are topping the charts.
Also: look at when some popular shows were last updated. If it’s been months (or years!) you might be able to create a new show to fill that space.
Remix your existing content:
One of the best ways to create new shows is to remix your existing long-form content.
For example:
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You have a 1-hour interview show that gets 1,000 downloads per episode.
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Take the best moments from that show, and create a 5-minute highlight show. This might get 2,000 downloads per episode.
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Next, take 4 of your best highlight episodes, and turn it into a narrative 30-minute episode.
Now, you're giving listeners the choice: do they want a 1-hour interview show, a 30-minute "commuter" show, or a 5-minute highlight show? You're remixing the content so it appeals to different types of listeners!