You want to make a podcast for your company or brand and you think all you need is a microphone, an echoey meeting room and a motor-mouth sales guy as a wannabe host?
While that is do-able, there is a reason why the most successful branded podcasts from IBEC, The Irish Times, Chadwicks and SISK etc work with professional production companies. It’s because, put plainly, making a great podcast is not as easy as it sounds.
The key symptoms of a brand that has indulged in brand-damaging audio are:
- No strategy
- No story arc
- Sound is terrible
Any single one of these issues is bad but together they’re an embarrassment.
Here’s what you need to know;
In order to be successful, your podcast needs to be considered within the context of your wider marketing and communication strategy, not as a random, standalone item. Establishing how and why to deploy a podcast is the first step to creating a successful audio marketing strategy.
A podcast can turn mid-funnel prospects into sales, upsell current clients, make introductions to new high-value clients and engage people with your brand for up to 30 minutes on a regular basis. It’s a powerful tool on its own but almost weapon-like when used in your overall strategy.
You also really need to work out what you are trying to say. Then cut to the chase and say it without listener-killing audio-drivel at the start. Podcasts offer you so many different formats and styles by which to tell your story, it’s important to find one that matches the strategy behind your show. With a clear story your podcast can bring your listeners, whether internal or external, on a journey with you.
Finally, sound quality is vital for engaging audiences. Listeners will subconsciously compare your podcast to the professionals on radio. If you are not at least as good as that, your brand will suffer. Good equipment is not expensive but you really need to know how to work it. There are also all the other audible elements to consider that help bring your stories to life such as sound beds, archive clips, jingles etc.
These are all basics for any decent audio production company, especially one with a podcasting pedigree. That’s why great companies tap into this experience to create their successful branded podcasts.