A branded podcast can increase awareness for your brand reaching different areas of your target audience previously unavailable. You’ve got industry knowledge to share, and the resources to turn that knowledge into quality content. But how do you ensure that you’re creating a podcast that can stand out from the crowd? Here are some branded podcasts do’s and don’ts to make ear-catching content.
DO bring on experts in your industry
One of the best ways to turn your branded podcast into an industry-wide resource is to bring on other experts as guests. Bringing on guests to talk about issues, solutions, discoveries, and research in your industry’s field shows that you’re using your podcast as a resource for your topic’s space. Reaching outside of the company for more insight shows that you’re on the side of research and best practices, and goes a long way in building trust with your audience.
DO NOT use your podcast simply as a marketing prop
This should go without saying, of course, but it’s worth highlighting the reason behind it. The modern-day tech-savvy audience is overtly aware of how often they are being marketed and advertised to. While that’s not to say that advertising is now meaningless, it does mean that audience outreach is a bit harder and does need a bit more heart behind it. Listeners will know immediately if your podcast is just a new way to market to by using a growing medium. Make your podcast something that your audience wants to listen to, not just a new way to promote yourself. At best, this will mean that your content gets little engagement. If the content isn’t engaging and pertinent outside of being a platform for your brand and is simply another place for your business to place your logo, a listener might not continue to listen to the podcast. Kaspersky’s Susi O’neill spoke with our Head of Marketing John Kiernan about this exact point in our Kaspoersky branded podcast case study.
DO explore different mediums
Podcasting is not just an audio domain. Video podcasts are just as popular as audio podcasts, and can allow for more engagement with the audience. Video podcasting also opens wider the doors for live shows/audiences, going even further for audience engagement. If you’d rather stick with audio-only content, don’t be afraid to branch out into creating audiogram clips or (depending on the budget and time allowed) animated/re-enacted bits from your audio podcast. Regardless of the format that you choose to publish your content, don’t be afraid to branch out in the world of multimedia content.
DO NOT burn yourself/your podcasting team out trying to do it all
There’s a saying in the Podbean office: “If it’s everyone’s job, then it’s nobody’s job.”
When it comes to all the steps required to create and promote a branded podcast, it can be overwhelming if a single person has to own all of the tasks. If a task isn’t assigned, or if your entire branded podcast falls on the shoulders of one person in your department, it’s not going to get done.
Delegate the duties out amongst your team to not only ensure that the tasks get done, but to also ensure that your team members don’t get overwhelmed and burnt out.
DO use audience avatars to cater your content to your ideal listener
In our Podcasting 101 post, we talk about audience avatars. Essentially, you craft a listener stand-in and ask yourself, “If this was our perfect listener, how would they engage with our content?” Does your perfect listener prefer audio to video? Do they spend more time on Twitter than Facebook? Knowing how you want your ideal listener to engage with your work allows you to adapt your content and your approach. While it may seem counter-intuitive, creating such targeted content will be more appealing to your audience.
DO NOT try to please everyone at once
In your efforts to create a podcast that has a wide audience appeal, do not adopt the spray-and-pray method with your content. Trying to appeal to everyone will result in a podcast that’s bland and has little true appeal to your intended audience. By creating targeted content, you’re more likely to grow past the target and expand your audience. Figure out what part you want your company to play in thought leadership (EX: bank can target international finance, etc.)
Look at it this way: if you were to create a pop culture podcast, you might draw in an audience due to the wide definition of ‘pop culture’, but you’ll start to lose people once you start covering topics within the definition that they don’t enjoy. If you were to fine tune the topic to just video games, or celebrity gossip, or even a specific sub-genre of pop culture, you will end up reaching a wider audience because more people will end up being a fan of that one topic as opposed to that topic bundled with other topics. These are just examples, of course – your mileage may vary – but keep your topic in mind and consider if there is a way to fine tune it.
DO create a launch plan
This is an issue that arises with all podcasts looking to jump into the scene: how do you successfully launch your podcast? We’ve got some tips on how to properly plan a podcast launch, but here’s a condensed list:
- Give yourself time for your launch, and plan it for a few months in the future
- Have several episodes ready – three is the most common – to upload for your launch, as this will help boost audience engagement
- Use a trailer to help promote your podcast as the launch approaches
Check out our create a podcast launch plan guide for even more tips on this!
DON’T rest on your brand to bring all the momentum
No matter what your brand is involved in, your involvement is sure to bring some hype and some engagement. This is great for things like sponsorships or events that you’re taking part in. But when it comes to something you’re crafting in-house, riding on just your brand’s name turns your podcast into just another short-term event or, worst case scenario, a perceived marketing stunt. Foster excitement for your podcast by promoting guests that you’re inviting, topics that you’re intending to cover, or other aspects of your content. This allows your audience to get excited about engaging with your podcast itself.
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Starting a branded podcast is a great way to expand your reach throughout your industry. Podcasts can reach new audiences that may have been previously unavailable. However, keep in mind that your podcast has to be able to stand on its own legs. These tips will help you craft and launch a podcast that’s sure to get your brand noticed.
Want more tips for your branded podcast? Check out our interview with Kaspersky to learn how they incorporated their branded podcast into their marketing ecosystem.
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