Tips for Branded Podcast Success

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With the rise of podcasting’s popularity, starting a branded podcast should definitely be on your company’s radar.Podcasting offers a wider, more dedicated user base than other forms of media. With starting a podcast being easier than ever, there’s no reason that your company shouldn’t look into creating a branded podcast.

Why create a branded podcast?

Creating a branded podcast is the next best marketing and promotional step your company can take. Podcasts are great marketing routes in terms of brand awareness. Putting out a branded podcast also means that you’re establishing yourself further as a voice in the industry on the side of the consumer, instead of as just a brand. Podcasts are well known across the world, with over 75% of the American audience being familiar with the term, and over 32% of Americans listen to podcasts at least once a month. 

Podcasting is also very malleable; as a medium, it has a lot of room for topic exploration as well as experimentation with formatting (audio vs video podcasting). As a turnkey solution, it’s the best next step for any company that wants to expand its brand awareness and its industry influence.

Tips on creating a branded podcast

1. Your Podcast Is Not Your Ad

When creating your branded podcast, keep in mind that your content has to be a vehicle for information that your audience can engage with. There’s nothing wrong with having your brand on the podcast cover, or a “brought to you by [name]!” in the opening/closing. However, if your podcast content focuses solely on your product/your service, you’re essentially creating an infomercial instead of a podcast. 

The appeal of podcasts is it gives the illusion of the listener the feeling of being part of the conversation. If you’re not providing a conversation listeners want to be a part of, they’re not going to. There’s a time and place to promote your product/service, so stick with running a midroll ad or putting your name in the byline.

If you want engagement with your podcast, focus on making it a resource in the industry. Figure out the pain point that your podcast will solve, and have that be the focus of each episode. Bring on experts that can offer their insights and experience for your audience. Doing so shows that you’re on the listeners’ side instead of just trying to sell them your solution. 

2. The Importance of Storytelling

We’ve got a whole blog post on storytelling in podcasting and why it’s important. To break it down, the human mind is built to absorb information that’s presented in a story moresoe than it is for information presented other ways. Utilizing storytelling allows you to create content that’s more personable, interesting, and engaging while also giving you a schema through which you can organize your information.

Build up to the main point of each segment. Use the segments to build up to the main point of each episode. Bring in individuals who have experience with the topic and can use that experience to make your points more impactful. 

Even if your podcast is centered around interviews, you can guide the conversation with your questions so the interview has a narrative arc. You can even inform the interviewee beforehand how you’d like the conversation to flow. If that’s not possible, there’s always the option to go in during post-production and manually cut the questions into a cohesive arc.

3. Don’t Fall To The Pitfalls Of Podcasting

Starting a podcast has never been easier, but keeping your momentum going is easier said than done. Burnout is on the top of everyone’s minds, and it can be fed by disorganization and a creation process cluttered with unnecessary or redundant steps. Podcast burnout even has an industry term: podfade. 

Here are a few steps to help keep your branded podcast’s momentum going:

• Have a set team of people to work on the podcast. Assign them specific roles. If something is everyone’s job, then it’s no one’s job; assigning roles means that no one person is bearing (or controlling) the entire process on their own. It also allows you to create a content pipeline that will in turn allow you to produce content quickly. If you’re unable to allocate team members to work on the podcast, you can also bring in a podcast production company such as MouthMedia to handle the recording, editing, and creation of your show.
  
• Prepare for the launch of your podcast with several episodes on deck, and launch with anywhere from three to five episodes. Launching with content at the ready gives you lead time to work on the next episodes coming out. The lead time also allows for wiggle room in the case of illness or technical difficulties. Launching with multiple episodes will help boost you in directory algorithms, as you’re giving listeners more content to engage with right off the bat. It also has listeners spending more time with your podcast as opposed to what time they’d spend listening to just one episode.
  
• Stay organized with your content. Make sure every file is properly labeled, and that any joint accounts (like for your podcast host) have the password recorded somewhere. Utilize content calendars to keep track of when you’re posting and what content you’re posting. Have days or times set aside for tasks like recording and editing. 

A Final Word on Branded Podcasts

Creating a branded podcast is a great way to establish your company as a resource in your industry, and to position your company to be on the side of your consumer. Your biggest obligation will be ensuring that you’ve got quality content that’s been produced to the highest standard. As long as you’ve got your content organized and you’re making the best podcast possible, you’re sure to find your market and your audience.

Get started with your podcast here, and learn more tips and tricks to creating the best podcast possible here!

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