Early Reservations - Getting your Brand together
Early Reservations
No, we're not going to dinner, we're looking at the names you need to claim to go along with your audio project.
With audio becoming so popular in the past few years, many of the low hanging show titles have been claimed.
When setting up your podcast, audio reading, or other audio project, use the following tricks to determine if your show can maintain its name and branding across the internet.
1.) Check the social media platforms: Plug your show or project title into Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and even Spotify and Apple iTunes to see if your project's name has already been claimed.
a.) If the name you want HAS been claimed: see if there is a suitable method to claim that name in a slightly different form. For example... a podcast about cooking might want to be called "Fast Fresh" but there may already be a "Fast Fresh" twitter handle that belongs to a grocery delivery company. Using "Fast_Fresh" or "Fast Fresh Podcast" is a perfect way to stick with your brand and get a desirable name on a platform.
b.) Get creative with how your show or project is viewed, often times many platforms will have a username field, this is most prevalent on twitter, where a user can adjust his or her username to show something custom.
2.) Does the website domain exist for a reasonable price. Depending on the resources you're spending on this audio endeavor, reasonable may be $100, or $1.99. Most domain names tend to come rather cheap, and whether you get them from GoDaddy, Square, or some other vendor, they all tend to be about the same price, especially if that domain isn't in demand at this time.
You may also look to acquire a domain name through a broker or service if the domain name you really need is already taken. Bear in mind this can be expensive.
3.) Once you've found a name and method to secure the brand across as many platforms as possible, DO IT. Online business is growing rapidly and you may not be able to secure certain brand handles down the road if you wait today.
A quick checklist of places to secure your brand handle (in no order of importance):
-TikTok
-Reddit (Create both a username and a subreddit)
-YouTube
-Snapchat
-Website URL (This may be multiple URLs; i.e. FastFresh. com, Fast-Fresh. com, etc.)
-Other relevant platforms based on your brand (Discord, Tumblr, Patreon, etc.)
Creating a united front for your brand across social media not only keeps things easy and clean when posting, but also helps listeners and customers find you more easily between platforms when they see you again because they know the name and hopefully the logo you've created to go with it.
Westport Studios recommends a minimum 1 month lead time on this process, with 3-6 months lead time being desirable for audio projects to help build pre-launch interest. For example, Westport Studios has a second podcast concept in the works for 2021, and the launch date for that project hasn't even been announced yet, because the groundwork with the brand and social media isn't ready yet.
Giving your audio project the same head start will not only pay off in listeners, but also in brand consistency when you decide to release it to your audience.
Need a hand planning when you should launch?