By Raleigh Elbert
Podcasts are all the rage today. With more companies, celebrities and just regular people taking the leap and starting a podcast, there is a lot we can learn about how podcasts can level up your marketing strategy and open up to new demographics rich with opportunity and promise. The only problem: to do it right, podcasts take a lot of time, energy and, most importantly, love. If you don’t love it, neither will your listeners.
Oh, by the way! Hi, I’m Raleigh, a Cal Poly SLO intern at Verdin Marketing who is currently taking a podcasting class, where for 10 weeks I am putting my heart and soul into a podcast where I let ChatGPT guide my conversations. It might sound strange but my partner and I wanted to make a fun, conversational podcast in a new and unique way so we brought AI into it and debate, divulge and discuss whatever topic the robot comes up with. We are taking this podcast from ideation all the way to production, editing, advertising and more. I’ve learned there is so much opportunity in podcasting, so I want to delve into what it takes to make a podcast and the benefits of a podcast in the marketing world.
The Challenges
The biggest obstacle to committing to a podcast for your brand is that you really have to invest a lot into them. Not only do you need the equipment – mics, editing software, recording equipment, etc. – but you also have to put a lot of time and careful effort into them. For many, the biggest time commitment is editing, and for some companies with low bandwidth, that just doesn’t make sense.
Now the challenge that can make or break your podcast is that you need heart to tell stories that will resonate with audiences. Once you decide you can take on a podcast, you have to dig into what it is you are trying to do and what it is about your podcast that will get people to listen. If you don’t care about what you are saying, neither will the listeners! Depending on your subject, this might mean doing extensive interviews or research, as well as writing and speaking passionately.
The bottom line is if you don’t have the time, drive or passion to make podcasts work for your marketing strategy, then right now might not be the best time to try starting a podcast. But for those who have some budget and want to explore a new creative direction, the opportunities are rife!
The Opportunities
OK, now that we have gone over the scary part of podcasting, it’s time to get into the fun and how podcasts can actually benefit your marketing strategy! Although the challenges can be very discouraging, a study by Pew Research Center found that about half of American adults say they’ve listened to a podcast in the past year and currently there are over 464 million podcast listeners worldwide. That is a lot of potential for reaching new audiences and growing your client’s brand awareness in new ways.
The great thing about podcasts is that it’s a form of owned media that you can use to not only entertain but build authority and tell your story. When people listen to podcasts they are connecting with the host and the show itself, with 54% of listeners saying that they “feel like they know the personality of their hosts of their favorite podcast very well.” Another impressive fact about brand recognition: 76% of listeners can recall at least one podcast-advertised product or service off the top of their heads.
These statistics showcase how podcasts reach beyond what other social media platforms do. Podcasts create a connection beyond advertising and act to humanize a brand and showcase the brand voice in a different way. On top of that, podcast clips can be repurposed for different social channels like Instagram, TikTok and Youtube.
The most important thing in using a podcast in marketing is consistency. When you start a podcast, you need to have a schedule, a plan of guests, how often the podcasts are going out and how you are going to let the audience know. Listeners care about the shows they listen to, and keeping that relationship up will greatly help the success of your podcast.
In short, podcasts can seem daunting at first, but once you have clear goals about what you are doing with your podcast it seems like a no-brainer! You not only connect to your audience in a new way, but you also create brand recognition, can repurpose the content and showcase your clients voice creatively.
While I am by no means a podcast expert, one thing I can say for sure is podcasts connect people, they make them feel less lonely, more informed, entertained and so much more, so why not take the leap and see how podcasts can benefit your clients?