Podcasting is a solid way for businesses and individuals to disseminate useful, informative, and entertaining content to their audience. A podcast could be a sanity-saver too, particularly during long work commutes. Thanks to this versatility, there are thousands of podcasters across different platforms, producing several million episodes every year. This ability of podcasts to attract and engage an audience is also the reason why several businesses are growing increasingly keen on capitalizing the medium’s popularity. If you’re a business looking to subliminally market your product/service or create an authoritative voice in the space through audio content, there are certain things to consider before podcasting for business.
Have a Unique Viewpoint
There is no dearth of business podcasts online. If you’re adding your podcasts to the list, you better have something unique to offer so that your podcast doesn’t get buried in the crowd. Without uniqueness, there is no draw or reason for people to listen to you. Your podcast must offer unique value to your listeners or solve a problem they might have. Do your research and learn more about your audience.
Listen to Others
Before writing a book, you should have read hundreds of books. Similarly, before doing a podcast, you must have listened to at least a dozen podcasts. Listening to others would help you learn or strengthen your podcasting basics. You would also learn how to differentiate your episodes from others by having a unique viewpoint. Besides, you will learn what’s trending in the industry space. You may listen to podcasts that cater to your market to stay updated. You may also tune in to non-industry podcasts to learn a thing or two about storytelling, interviewing techniques, etc.
Know Your Goals
Don’t podcast because others are doing it. Before podcasting, be sure of your objectives. You should, in fact, first learn whether podcasting is right for your business and are your consumers keen listeners. There are certain businesses that fare well with videos than with audio content. Know which route suits your brand the best. As a business owner, your time is invaluable. A podcast should be making optimal use of that time.
Podcasting is Not Easy
Podcasts seem easy to make. But they are not. A lot of work goes into producing them. You may have to book guests every now and then. The editing work can take serious time and effort — not to mention, good podcast editing skills are a must. Therefore, before committing to a podcast, create a proper plan to manage the workload and ensure it’s something you can seamlessly fit into your routine.
Follow a Particular Format
A podcast can be done in different ways. It could be interview-based, educational, conversational, non-fiction storytelling, solo-casts, and/or fiction storytelling (at times called podcast theater). Choose a format that you think you would be good at and which would help you deliver your message in the most efficacious manner. If the interview format suits your brand the best, make sure your interviewing skills are on point. If not, develop and hone them. You may even hire someone for the job.
