While podcasts were once a niche format, they have now seamlessly integrated into the mainstream media landscape. Undoubtedly, podcasts serve as highly effective content marketing tools.
In the United States, there were 68.85 million podcast listeners at the end of 2023. Projections indicate this number is expected to grow annually at a rate of 39.02 percent by the year 2028. Notably, between 2009 and 2019, the percentage of Americans who had ever listened to an audio podcast more than doubled, growing from 22 to 51 percent.
Podcasts serve various purposes, including education, storytelling, interviews and brand awareness. Millions of people regularly listen to podcasts, and even gaining a small percentage of loyal listeners can significantly benefit your brand’s content marketing efforts. By neglecting podcasts, businesses miss out on a fantastic opportunity to connect with a broad audience.
4 Reasons To Invest In Podcasting for Business
What’s your favorite podcast? Get tips from your faves to establish a successful podcasting strategy for your business.
If your business is just dipping its toes into the podcast world, you might wonder why it’s necessary when you already have social media and blogging. However, consider this: approximately 79 percent of U.S. listeners aged 12 and above are familiar with this medium! Using it alongside your trusty social media platforms can boost your brand and reach new ears.
Additionally, here are four important reasons why embracing podcasts can be a powerful tool to engage with your audience in a whole new way:
- Accessibility – You can’t beat the versatility of podcasting for business. Listeners can tune in to podcasts from wherever they are, whenever they want. Unlike other forms of content, podcasts don’t require active attention. People can continue with their tasks while listening to your brand’s message. Podcasts fit seamlessly into people’s lives, making them a valuable marketing tool.
- Audience – By focusing on topics that interest your audience, you can create content that educates and sparks discussions. Unlike crowded spaces such as blogs and YouTube, the podcasting world has fewer competitors, giving your show a better chance of being discovered. Collaborating with established podcasters can boost your brand’s visibility and attract new listeners. Seek out podcasters whose audience aligns with your target market for optimal results.
- Loyalty and Trust – Consistency is important for success in content creation, especially for podcasting. Like your favorite TV series, listeners expect new podcast episodes to be released consistently. The structured format of podcast episodes encourages anticipation and repeat visits. As you cultivate a loyal listener base, trust is established. It’s no surprise that 69 percent of fans are more inclined to purchase services and products advertised on their regularly-listened-to podcast.
- Emotion – When you want to ignite excitement about what you’re offering, the enthusiasm in your voice becomes a powerful tool. As you speak, your emotions are transmitted to your listeners. While social media and blogging allow you to convey feelings, they lack the same impact as hearing genuine eagerness in someone’s voice.
Podcasting For Business Goals
Why do you want to create a podcast? It’s time to ask yourself a few basic questions.
Just as you should for social media marketing, blogging and other forms of content marketing, it is vital you take time to determine what you hope to achieve with creating and maintaining a podcast for your business. These goals will help guide you along the way.
When considering objectives of the podcast, make sure they are specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable and timely (SMART). What are some goals you could have for your podcast? Here are a few ideas.
- Increase Brand Visibility: How many listeners do you hope to gain in the first few months or years? The more listeners you have, the greater your brand’s visibility.
- Monetary Gains: Do you hope to increase your sales by podcasting for business? How much of an increase would you like to see? Eventually, once you have a large following you can use it to make money through advertising and sponsorships.
- Increase Website Traffic: How many people do you hope will visit your website every month because of your podcast?
- Explore More Opportunities To Connect: As your business podcast expands, it brings forth various opportunities. These include invitations to other podcasts, potential sponsorships, and more. Consider the doors you’d like to open through your podcast’s growth.
Don’t forget to review goals regularly to adjust your strategy. Over time you may notice your goals change from when you started – that’s okay! Just remember to keep them SMART.
Podcast Intentions
Now that you have your goals set, how can you use podcasting for business to achieve results?
There are three main objectives of podcasting for business – advertising, influencing and educating.
- Advertising – Companies with their own podcasts can easily promote their products and services. They naturally feature their business offerings in podcast episodes without any additional cost. However, if you don’t have your own podcast, you can still advertise on existing ones. Many podcasts sell advertising spots to companies. If you choose this route, don’t forget to carve out funds in your content marketing budget.
As advised by Three Girls Media’s CEO, Erika Taylor Montgomery, when determining if a podcast is a good fit for your message, pay attention to:
- The listener demographics
- The purpose and theme of the show
- The topic of the episode
- The show’s popularity and reach
- Influencing – A well-liked podcast is a source of expert information for a listener. When establishing your own podcast, you give your business an opportunity to become experts as well. Listeners become loyal to podcasts that prove they know what they are talking about, and with loyalty comes trust. As you grow your audience, you increase your influence through your expertise and trust.
- Educating – Many people listen to podcasts to learn more about their own passions and industries. From explaining a product to teaching how to perform an activity, you can be a source of information listeners use to increase their knowledge and meet their personal or professional goals. Using a podcast to educate your audience will also establish yourself as a thought-leader and the go-to person in your industry.
The goals you want to achieve will help you determine if your podcast will use all three functions, or if you will focus on one more than the others. Are you sold on podcasting for business as part of your content marketing strategy? Keep reading to learn how to get started on your new adventure!
8 Steps to Create Your New Business Podcast
Creating a podcast for business is fairly simple, however there is more to it than just pressing record and posting online. Follow these eight easy steps and you’ll be on your way to achieving your brand’s goals and developing your listener base.
Step 1: Pick Your Podcast’s Topic
Choosing a topic that resonates with your audience is one of the most important steps in building a podcast for business.
Choose a topic that is complementary to what you do and you are passionate about. Your podcast’s goals can help guide you. Your topic can be broad like content marketing strategy, or more specific like video marketing.
For example, Three Girls Media has its own podcast called Two Minute Marketing Tips hosted by CEO, Erika Taylor Montgomery. In this podcast, Erika shares quick marketing tips to help brands grow and evolve. This aligns with our brand’s core values and shows off our expertise in this realm.
Once you have your topic in order, you can start brainstorming some ideas for names. Try to choose something creative and catchy to entice new listeners.
Step 2: Establish Your Target Audience
Regardless of how good your business podcast is, if no one listens to it, it doesn’t matter. According to the Podcast Host, “The thing is, unless you know exactly who you’re making your show for, and why you’re doing it, you’ve got no chance of growing an audience.
If you’re coming at it from a business point of view, and you’re (for example) a personal trainer who wants to make a health and fitness podcast, your target audience might be people who are interested in healthy eating, weight loss, exercise or bodybuilding.”
Step 3: Develop Your Strategy
The third step in creating your podcast for business is developing your strategy, which includes the format, length and schedule.
According to Buzz Sprout the most common formats are:
- Interview: These podcasts interview individuals within a particular industry.
- Scripted Non-Fiction: A serial podcast with one theme for a full season.
- News Recap: Summarizes the news within a specific industry.
- Educational: Focuses on teaching your audience.
- Scripted Fiction: These podcasts are similar to radio dramas and are often scripted and highly produced.
After you decide on what type of podcast you want to produce, the next thing you need to ask yourself is how long you want each episode to be. Some formats will naturally have longer episodes than others, but ultimately the decision is up to you!
The last thing you need to consider when it comes to your strategy is the schedule. Just like with everything else you post online, you need to be consistent. Create a schedule you will be able to follow through with.
To maintain the quality of your podcast content, invest in high-quality equipment and software.
Step 4: Get Your Equipment
While you can start a podcast with just your phone and a pair of headphones, that won’t give you the best quality final product. For high-quality audio, you will need to purchase a microphone. There are many affordable microphones available that will produce better audio than what you can get with your phone.
Step 5: Choose Your Software
To create the best podcast, you will want to invest in recording and editing software. While you can edit on your phone, we highly recommend using dedicated editing software. The good news is that editing software for audio is relatively cheap and easy to find.
Our CEO Erika Montgomery’s personal favorite for recording and editing is Adobe Audition. It is easy to use and doesn’t require a lot of experience to master. Another benefit of Adobe software is that you record and edit in the same program, making it easier to keep your files organized. She also uses Audacity to record her Two Minute Marketing Tips podcast. It’s free and easy to use!
Step 6: Create A Script And Record Your Episode
One of the most important pieces in this process is your script. Taking the time to write a script, or at the very least a well-planned outline, will keep you focused and on track while recording.
According to Buzz Sprout, “Rambling is one of the most common mistakes new podcasters make, and the best way to fight this tendency is by writing a podcast outline.” Writing a script will also give you an idea of how long your episode will be – which you should have determined in step three.
After you write your script and are happy with the content and length, you’re ready to record! Grab a glass of water to sip on when your throat gets dry, find a quiet spot, set up your equipment and press the record button.
Step 7: Edit And Upload Your Podcast
Once you have completed recording your business podcast it’s time to edit and upload the final product. Editing can be a time-consuming project, but the effort you put in here will pay off in the long run.
To begin, organize your files accordingly, edit for content flow and finish with distractions. Once you’re happy with the final product, export it and upload it to the platform of your choice. Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud and Spotify are three well-known platforms that are relatively easy to use. If you want to create a video file to complement it, you can also upload the recording to YouTube.
Step 8: Optimize Your Podcast
The last step in the creation process is optimizing your business podcast. All your podcast’s key pieces need to be optimized for reach and engagement. Creating artwork, hashtags and categories that align with your messaging will help your podcast grow and thrive.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations! Your first podcast for business is ready for the world to discover. As you start your new adventure as a podcaster, it’s important to stick with it and not give up. As with all content marketing, podcasting for business is a marathon not a sprint. With time and effort, you will reap the rewards and develop loyal listeners who can’t wait until your next episode.
Still not ready to start a podcast for business on your own? Contact us today to learn how we can help!
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