- Starting a brand podcast has never been easier
- Keeping it going is another matter
- It’s okay to get help to keep publishing consistently
- A brand podcast that dies on the vine is a poor reflection on the brand
The good news is that starting a brand podcasting content marketing channel has never been easier. There are a plethora of tools and platforms available so that almost anyone with a microphone and an idea can launch their own show.
The bad news is…well it’s not even bad, it’s just news that should be seriously considered…is that while the initial steps of podcasting are relatively straightforward and do-able, keeping a podcast going and maintaining the consistent cadence needed to reap the full long-term benefits of a brand podcast is a different story.
tHE ALLURE OF BRAND PODCASTING
If you’re thinking of starting a podcast for your brand and opening up that marketing and thought leadership channel, you’re definitely thinking in the right direction.
Podcasts offer a unique way to connect with audiences on a deeper level. Again and again, they’ve proven to perform better than other media assets for attention, engagement, and information retention. Using the unbeatable influential power of the human voice, brands get to share their stories, showcase their expertise, and build a loyal community of customers, prospects, and partners. Brand awareness goes up, trust in the brand goes up, the public is being exposed to the brand more often, and episodes are stoking conversations about you.
I could go on, but you get it. It’s a winner. So it’s wild to see so many brands leaving that top performing marketing and communications channel closed.
tHE REALITY OF BRAND PODCASTING
Remember all the excitement when blogs first got going? The joke was, “everybody has a blog, including my dog.” And it was true. That was because blogs were so incredibly easy to start. But what many bloggers came to realize is, blogging consistently takes work, dedication, and effort.
The same thing is happening with podcasts. Many, many people start podcasts, only to quickly realize they don’t want to do the work of producing shows and keeping it going reliably enough that they could actually build an audience (which takes time).
But brands are a different story. Brands approached and handled their blog efforts professionally and realistically. If all the stars align as they should, they’ll do the same thing as they open up the podcast channel. They will be realistically budgeted for and resourced, so that they don’t join the long list of podcasts that inconsistently put out five or six episodes, then disappeared. If the podcast is two dudes drinking and talking about Minecraft, it doesn’t matter if it disappears. But a poor or abandoned effort by a brand can reflect poorly on that brand.
tHE IMPORTANCE OF CONSISTENCY
Consistency is key to building a successful podcast. Regularly publishing episodes helps keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. It also signals to potential listeners your podcast is trustworthy and worth their time.
Inconsistent episodes, on the other hand, tell even interested listeners the podcast isn’t a serious effort, and it can’t be relied on to consistently put up new episodes. So there’s no need to subscribe. A podcast that starts strong but fades away tells listeners, “We really don’t care that you’re interested enough in us to be here.”
IT’S OKAY TO HAVE HELP FOR YOUR PODCAST
The demands of podcasting are many, so having a podcast management and production specialist aboard makes just as much sense as having a consultant or agency assist in other areas of a business. Why should the burden be tackled entirely in-house (where many brands make the mistake of making the podcast “part” of someone else’s job) when a pro can handle as much or as little of the podcasting process as needed.
Success comes from being wise enough to not go it alone. Leveraging the expertise of a podcast management and production specialist can ensure a brand podcast remains high quality, publishes consistently, gets the attention it deserves, and brings all the benefits a podcast can bring.
A well-maintained podcast like that is going to attract an audience, build an audience, deliver reliably for that audience, make the brand look great, and generate content that can then be repurposed in numerous ways to populate your other marketing channels.
oN THE AIR
Starting a podcast is easy, maintaining one is hard. In my background of running a national radio network and hosting radio morning shows in multiple markets across the country, not delivering a new show every day was never an option. That’s the kind of discipline and dedication that should be applied to brand podcast products.
Once you have such a specialist lined up, your podcast production machine can get rolling with no worries about the show dying on the vine.
It’s Not Difficult With the Right People
I’ll work one on one with you in an a la carte manner to determine how much or little assist you need to get your brand podcast up and running or to revive an existing one.
Mike Stiles